HISTORY 

CENTRAL  OHIO 
CONFERENCE 


METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 
1856 1913 


7 


HISTORY 


CENTRAL  OHIO  CONFERENCE 


Methodist  Episcopal  Church 


ILLUSTRATED 
1856     -      1913 


HISTORIANS: 

REV.  ELIAS  D.  WHITLOCK,  D.  D. 
REV.  NATHANIEL  B.  C.  LOVE,  D.  D. 
REV.  ELWOOD  O.  CRIST,  D.  D. 


CINCINNATI 
PRESS  OF  THE  METHODIST  BOOK  CONCERN 


COMMITTEE  ON  PUBLICATION. 


REV.  E.  D.  WHITLOCK,  D.  D. 


REV.  N.  B.  C.  LOVE,  D.  D.  REV.  E.  O.  CRIST,  D.  D. 


COMMITTEE  ON  PUBLICATION. 


REV.  H.  J.  PIGLEY. 


REV.  W.  G.  WATERS,  D.  D. 


REV.  M.  C.  HOWEY,  A.  M. 


NOTE.— After  the  death  of  Dr.  E.  D.  Whitlock,  December  23,  1913,  at  the  request  of  Dr.  Love  and 
the  Committee,  Bishop  Anderson  appointed  Dr.  E.  O.  Crist  to  fill  the  place  of  Dr.  Whitlock  as  Editor  and 
Historian  to  complete  and  .publish  this  volume.  , 


BISHOP  WILLIAM  F.  ANDERSON,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 


Contents. 


PAGE 

PREFACE,  -       9 

FOREWORD,     -  11 

BEGINNINGS  OF  METHODISM,      -  Thomas  Biddle,     17 

GROWTH  OF  METHODISM,   - 

Bishop  David  H.  Moore,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,     22 

THE  FIRST  CENTURY  OF  THE  OHIO  CONFERENCE,     - 

Rer.  J.  C.  Arbuckle,  D.  D.,     26 

THE  BLACK  SWAMP,  32 

ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  CENTRAL  OHIO  CONFERENCE,  50 

PERSONAL  MENTION,  63 

THE  BEGINNING  OF  MISSIONARY  MOVEMENTS,  -     79 

JOHN  STEWART,  PIONEER  MISSIONARY  OF  THE  METHODIST 

EPISCOPAL  CHURCH,  -     84 

WOMAN'S  FOREIGN  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY  OF  THE  CENTRAL 

OHIO  CONFERENCE,  Mrs.  E.  D.  Whitlock,     98 

WOMAN'S  HOME   MISSIONARY  SOCIETY  OF  THE  CENTRAL 

OHIO  CONFERENCE,  Mrs.  Delia  L.  Williams,  108 

BENEVOLENT  AND  PHILANTHROPIC  INTERESTS,  -  113 

FLOWER  DEACONESS  HOME  AND  HOSPITAL,  117 

LAKESIDE,  OHIO,  -  125 

EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS,  134 

CENTRAL  OHIO  CONFERENCE  SEMINARY,    -  -  136 

7 


8  Contents. 

PAGE 

OHIO  WESLEYAN  UNIVERSITY,  139 

OHIO  NORTHERN  UNIVERSITY,    -  -  156 

HISTORY  OF  CHURCHES — ALPHABETICALLY  ARRANGED,  162 

TOLEDO  METHODISM,  -  283 

THE  CHURCH  TRIUMPHANT,   -  325 

SURVIVING   CHARTER   MEMBERS   OF   THE   CENTRAL   OHIO 

CONFERENCE,  -  -       336 

TRANSFERRED,  BUT  NOT  FORGOTTEN,  -  340 

SOME  LAY  LEADERS,       -  342 

CONFERENCE  ROLL  AND  PASTORAL  RECORD,  -                  -  346 

IN  MEMORIAM,  -        378 

ORIGIN  OF  THE  WEST  OHIO  CONFERENCE,  -  381 

JOINT  COMMISSION,  383 
WEST  OHIO  ANNUAL  CONFERENCE,    -----  386 


Pref 


retace. 

THE  territory  covered  by  the  Central  Ohio  Conference  is  historic 
ground.  It  was  within  the  bounds  of  this  Conference  that  the  first 
missionary  work  was  done  under  the  auspices  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  by  John  Stewart,  among  the  Wyandots  at  Upper 
Sandusky.  Agriculturally  the  territory  is  one  of  the  richest  in  the 
State.  The  development  of  the  natural  resources  came  a  little  later 
than  in  other  sections. 

Bishop  William  L.  Harris,  an  honored  bishop  in  the  Church, 
was  for  some  years  the  secretary  of  this  body.  The  type  of  min- 
istry which  developed  here  partook  somewhat  of  the  pioneer  fea- 
tures of  the  country.  One  is  impressed  as  the  list  of  the  leaders 
of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference  is  called  that  there  is  a  certain 
ruggedness  and  virility  about  them  far  above  the  average.  The 
characterization  of  these  leaders  and  the  records  of  their  noble 
achievements  will  constitute  a  large  part  of  this  volume.  The 
cause  of  Methodism  little  by  little  has  forged  its  way  to  a  position 
of  commanding  influence  throughout  the  area.  The  citizenship  of 
the  State  of  Ohio  is  perhaps  as  truly  American  as  that  of  any  other 
Commonwealth  in  the  Republic.  The  free  atmosphere  of  our  the- 
ology, polity,  and  spirit  makes  strong  appeal  to  liberty-loving 
Americans,  and  in  the  territory  covered  by  the  Central  Ohio  Con- 
ference multitudes  of  good  men  and  women  have  yielded  glad  re- 
sponse to  this  gospel  appeal.  Strong  Churches  have  sprung  up  in 
many  towns  and  cities  as  if  by  magic. 

Meantime,  due  consideration  has  also  been  given  to  the  build- 
ing up  of  educational  institutions.  The  Ohio  Wesleyan  University 
at  Delaware,  and  the  Ohio  Northern  at  Ada,  are  abiding  monuments 
of  the  interest  of  the  people  in  educational  ideals  and  form  beautiful 
testimonials  of  their  sacrifices  in  the  propagation  of  these  ideals. 
The  youth  of  Ohio  have  gone  out  from  the  halls  of  these  institutions 
to  the  ends  of  the  earth  and  form  a  valuable  contribution  to  the 
forces  which  make  for  the  progress  of  mankind  the  wide  world 
around. 

9 


10  Preface. 

Nor  has  the  distinctly  philanthropic  work  been  overlooked.  For 
many  years  the  loyal  Methodists  of  this  section  poured  their  con- 
tributions into  the  treasury  of  Christ  Hospital,  Cincinnati.  In 
recent  years  the  Flower  Hospital,  in  Toledo,  has  received  the 
gifts  of  the  people,  and  under  the  direction  of  a  wise  and  pro- 
gressive Board  of  Trustees  these  gifts  have  been  judiciously  in- 
vested for  the  relief  of  suffering  mankind  and  for  the  cause  of 
human  progress. 

The  last  session  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference  as  such  was 
held  at  Kenton,  Ohio,  September  25  to  30,  1912.  By  request  of 
the  delegations  of  the  Central  Ohio  and  Cincinnati  Conferences, 
an  enabling  act  was  passed  by  the  General  Conference  of  1912 
authorizing  the  consolidation  of  the  two  bodies.  After  safeguard- 
ing all  the  legal  phases  involved,  this  merger  was  effected  at 
Urbana,  Ohio,  in  the  joint  session  which  was  held  September  9 
to  15,  1913,  by  which  action  the  two  bodies  came  together  legally 
under  the  name  of  the  West  Ohio  Annual  Conference  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church. 

The  situation  facing  this  strong  body  of  ministers  and  laymen 
is  unique  and  unusual.  Greater  opportunities  could  not  be  even 
asked  for  service  to  the  Kingdom  of  God,  and  better  facilities 
could  hardly  be  desired  for  the  carrying  forward  of  the  work. 
That  Methodism  here  should  be  true  to  its  original  mission  of 
spreading  Scriptural  holiness  throughout  the  earth  is  of  tremendous 
importance.  That  it  will  go  forward  with  a  spirit  of  consecration 
and  earnestness  to  the  manifold  tasks  of  the  Church  in  this  day 
can  hardly  be  questioned,  and  that  the  favor  alike  of  God  and  man 
will  rest  upon  the  movement,  is  as  certain  as  God  Himself. 


/ 


Foreword. 

THE  annals  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Ohio  constitute 
one  of  the  most  interesting  and  important  chapters  in  Methodism. 

The  establishment  and  growth  of  the  Church,  with  its  records 
of  the  adventures  and  the  heroism,  the  experiences  and  the  trials 
of  pioneer  Methodists,  the  prey  often  of  innumerable  temptations 
and  dangers,  men  and  women  not  lacking  in  the  joys  that  brave 
service  brings,  and  the  triumphs  that  great  victories  achieve,  afford 
the  reader  tof  both  religious  and  secular  history  a  fascinating  study 
not  only  in  the  rise  and  progress  of  the  Church,  but  in  the  civiliza- 
tion of  the  Commonwealth  and  the  country. 

No  complete  history  of  the  physical  and  moral  advancement 
of  the  State  could  be  written  that  should  fail  to  recognize  and 
prominently  mention  the  part  Methodism  has  had  in  the  constant 
and  wonderful  changes  and  advances  of  society  in  all  that  is  es- 
sential to  prosperous  communities  and  enduring  institutions. 

Religion,  education,  philanthropy,  and  good  government  have 
uniformly  been  subjects  of  thought  and  objects  of  endeavor  with 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  accounts  of  which  are  found  in 
this  volume  of  much  interest  and  value. 

It  is  no  easy  task,  since  in  a  large  measure  the  records  of  the 
Church  exist  in  scattered  portions  and  in  disconnected  paragraphs 
or  sentences,  to  set  forth  in  orderly  sequence  the  wonderful  achieve- 
ments which  Methodism  has  wrought  in  the  history  of  society. 
What  a  volume  of  enchanting  story  and  of  inspiring  incident  would 
be  ours  to  peruse  if  what  Methodism  has  done  in  directions  we 
can  trace  and  ways  we  may  infer  could  be  gathered  together  in 
logical  relations  and  accurate  statement! 

To  write  the  history  of  any  great  Church  or  of  any  important 
organization,  having  for  its  object  the  transformation  of  human 
conditions  is  always  difficult,  because  in  the  initiation  and  develop- 
ment of  such  a  movement  as  Methodism,  for  example,  there  has 
been  so  much  of  spontaneous,  unexpected,  and  fortuitous  occurrence. 

11 


12  Foreword. 

Notwithstanding  the  existence  of  these  difficulties,  the  compilers 
and  writers  of  this  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference  are 
to  be  congratulated  that  they  have  in  their  possession  a  large  amount 
of  reliable  historical  data,  the  accumulation  of  years  of  research, 
consisting  largely  of  original  Quarterly  Conference  and  Church 
business  records,  original  records  of  early  and  later  district  meet- 
ings, the  Minutes  of  the  Annual  Conferences  for  the  past  hundred 
years,  autobiographical  accounts,  letters  and  diaries  of  pioneer 
preachers,  brief  sketches  from  a  majority  of  the  Churches  and 
pastors,  and  the  records  of  the  educational  and  benevolent  insti- 
tutions of  the  Conference. 

This  volume,  involvrng  great  work  and  care  and  considerable 
expense  in  its  production,  will  no  doubt  commend  itself  to  the 
ministers  and  the  members  of  all  our  Methodist  Churches  in  West- 
ern Ohio,  and  to  many  elsewhere. 

The  things  unrecorded  and  that  must  remain  so,  because  no 
memoranda  of  them  have  been  preserved,  would  if  properly  assem- 
bled, furnish  merriment  to  amuse  the  mirthful,  varied  incident  to 
beguile  the  sober,  and  create  a  fund  of  the  rich  experiences  of 
families,  of  individuals,  and  of  Churches,  many  of  them  associated 
with  the  introduction  of  Methodism  into  neighborhoods  and  with 
the  development  of  the  country  at  large.  This  attempt  to  write 
a  history  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference  has  been  greatly  handi- 
capped by  the  lack  of  the  original  data  of  some  Churches. 

Fifty-seven  years  ago,  when  the  Central  Ohio  Conference  was 
organized,  conditions  in  Ohio  were  very  different  from  those  of 
to-day.  Business  then  had  not  been  organized  as  it  is  now;  many 
of  the  natural  resources  of  the  State  had  not  been  developed ;  farm- 
ing was  very  simple  in  its  methods ;  facilities  for  transporting  farm 
products  and  what  little  manufacturing  there  was  were  very  simple 
and  less  numerous  and  speedy ;  the  present  industrial  system,  so 
thorough  in  organization,  so  comprehensive  and  universal,  had  not 
even  been  dreamed  of;  everything  in  the  course  of  business  and 
trade  was  on  the  basis  of  simplicity  and  individualism,  and  gen- 
erally every  business  man  was  his  own  master,  though  necessarily 
there  was  then  an  interdependence  of  association  and  commerce 
in  the  limited  traffic  of  the  times. 

The  War  of  the  Rebellion  had  not  occurred  with  its  conse- 
quences of  broken  homes  and  disturbed  and  retarded  business;  with 


Foreword.  13 

its  results  of  the  discovery  of  new  and  extensive  territory  in  the 
West,  of  the  awakening  of  the  genius  and  faculty  of  invention,  with 
their  importance  and  effect  upon  all  lines  of  physical  and  social 
life;  of  the  new  and  higher  conceptions  of  freedom  and  equality, 
born  of  a  struggle  costly  and  bloody,  almost  beyond  parallel  in  the 
history  of  warfare ;  a  freedom  which  forever  afterwards  should  not 
only  liberate  the  bodies  of  human  beings  from  all  forms  of  oppres- 
sion and  unjust  burdens,  which  some  new  order  of  industrialism 
might  impose  upon  society,  but  from  the  fetters  of  ignorance  and 
the  bondage  of  sin.  Society  a  half-century  ago  was  simple,  demo- 
cratic, and  only  in  a  small  way  relational. 

There  were  no  great  cities  in  the  State;  and  problems,  civic  and 
social,  which  are  now  demanding  of  the  State  and  the  Church  study 
and  solution — if  not  solution,  some  better  adjustment  to  the  existing 
order  of  affairs — were  not  anticipated  nor  even  dreamed  of  fifty 
years  ago. 

Then  there  was  no  great  industrial  world  divided  into  two  great 
and  powerful  forces,  capital  and  labor,  pitted  in  angry  and  deter- 
mined warfare  against  each  other,  forces  whose  definition  no  social 
expert  has  as  yet  clearly  set  forth  so  as  to  satisfy  the  general 
public. 

The  population  of  the  State  was  chiefly  rural  and  the  occupa- 
tions, therefore,  agricultural.  Settlements  in  the  State  when  Ohio 
was  young  in  the  sisterhood  of  Commonwealths  were  sparse;  and 
even  'when  the  Central  Ohio  Conference  was  formed,  aggregations 
of  people  were  small  and  confined  to  villages  and  towns.  The 
amusements  of  that  day  were  often  rude  and  coarse,  the  exag- 
gerated refinements  and  excesses  which  a  luxurious  civilization  has 
produced  being  unknown. 

In  the  country  the  forms  of  social  attraction  and  entertainment 
were  indigenous  to  the  soil  and  the  suggestion  of  the  occupations 
pursued. 

The  log  schoolhouse  and  the  red  frame  structure  that  caaie 
later  were  the  chief  sources  and  means  of  education,  the  instruction 
being  imparted  without  any  graded  system  or  very  much  order. 
Still  in  these  schools,  such  as  they  were,  many  Methodist  preachers, 
some  now  living  and  others  who  have  passed  away,  secured  their 
elementary  instruction  and  laid  the  foundation  of  their  intellectual 
strength  and  usefulness. 


14  Foreword. 

Books  were  few,  no  comprehensive  literature  had  been  con- 
structed. Newspapers  came  but  weekly,  and  the  Methodist 
preacher  was  in  great  part  the  cyclopedia  of  the  people,  and  upon 
him  rested  the  duty  of  leading  the  community  into  the  wider  paths 
of  intelligence  and  thought;  and  how  nobly  he  has  met  the  re- 
sponsibility the  record  of  long  years  will  disclose.  His  voice  was 


THE  ITINERANT  PATHFINDER,  CROSSING  THE  MAUMEE. 

(From  a  painting  by  N.  B.  C.  Love.) 

the  voice  of  John  the  Baptist  crying  in  the  wilderness,  his  figure 
the  figure  of  Elijah  confronting  the  evils  and  idolatries  of  the 
times. 

The  painter  could  do  no  greater  thing  to  reflect  the  past  in 
our  civilization  than  to  canvass  the  Methodist  itinerant,  with  Bible 
in  hand,  mounted  on  his  friendly  and  befriended  horse,  riding 
through  the  wilderness  to  found  the  Kingdom  of  God  and  to  open 
up  paths  of  intelligence  and  religion. 

Such  a  portraiture  would  suggest  to  the  mind  of  the  reader 
the  forms  and  boldness  of  many  men  who,  within  the  bounds  of 
Ohio  Methodism  and  within  the  Central  Ohio  Conference,  have 


Foreword.  15 

stood  straight  and  strong  against  evil  and  proven  themselves  daunt- 
less defenders  of  the  truth  in  the  midst  of  a  "crooked  and  perverse 
generation."  The  foundations  of  the  Church,  the  strong  pillars  of 
the  State,  the  vineyards  of  the  new  wine  of  the  Kingdom  of  God, 
the  inspiration  to  benevolence  and  the  riches  of  Christian  philan- 
thropy, the  light  of  the  gospel  falling  on  heathendom,  and  the 
impulse  of  a  new  order  for  universal  righteousness, — all  are  trace- 
able in  no  small  degree  to  the  ideals,  the  influence,  the  heroism, 
and  the  faith  of  the  Methodist  itinerant. 

"  Faith  of  our  fathers !  we  will  love 

Both  friend  and  foe  in  all  our  strife; 

And  preach  thee,  too,  as  love  knows  how, 
By  kindly  words  and  virtuous  life. 

Faith  of  our  fathers!   holy  faith! 

We  will  be  true  to  thee  till  death!" 


I. 
Beginnings  of  Methodism. 

BY  THOMAS  BIDDLE. 

THE  first  fruits  of  religious  "Reformation"  in  England  were  har- 
vested during  the  reign  of  Elizabeth.  These  fruits  of  religion 
were  moral,  mental,  and  civic  betterment;  the  second  harvest  was 
Puritanism  with  its  invincible  valor  on  land  and  sea  to  establish 
itself  in  civic  honesty,  just  administration  of  the  law,  religious 
tolerance,  and  a  high  degree  of  personal  piety  and  godly  reverence. 

After  the  death  of  Oliver  Cromwell,  Lord  Protector,  in  1658, 
and  after  the  "Restoration"  of  the  Stuart  dynasty,  Puritanism  was 
dethroned,  and  impiety,  irreverence,  laxity  in  morals,  both  public 
and  private,  soon  prevailed. 

It  was  given  to  John  Wesley,  born  forty-three  years  after  the 
death  of  Cromwell,  more  than  to  any  other  man,  to  turn  the  hearts 
of  men  back  to  reverence  and  godly  living. 

1703 — John  Wesley,  son  of  Rev.  Samuel  Wesley,  born  at  Ep- 
worth  Rectory,  April  25,  1703,  Lincolnshire,  England. 

1716 — Left  home  to  attend  Charter  House  School,  London; 
later  entered  Christ  Church  College,  Oxford. 

1727 — Appointed  curate,  after  his  ordination  as  deacon,  to  his 
father  at  Epworth. 

1728 — Ordained  priest  by  the  Bishop  of  Oxford. 

1729 — Returned  to  Oxford  and  there  joined  a  group  of  devout 
students  in  a  society  called  the  "Holy  Club,"  later  called  "Meth- 
odists," pursuing  systematic  exercises  of  prayer,  study,  and  Biblical 
discussion,  also  visiting  the  poor,  the  sorrowing,  and  the  prisoners. 

1733 — Missionary  of  the  Established  Church  to  the  Colony  of 
Georgia.  Met  some  Moravians  on  board  ship  and  was  greatly 
impressed  by  their  piety ;  his  interest  in  them  and  their  godliness 
led  him  to  seek  to  know  more  of  them  and  their  religious  views. 

1738 — Returned  to  England.  Soon  after  reaching  London  he 
met  Peter  Bohler,  a  leading  man  among  the  Moravians,  who,  by 
«  17 


l8  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


the  Scriptures  and  by  witnesses,  so  ably  and  clearly  explained  and 
proved  the  doctrine  of  salvation  by  faith  in  Christ,  with  the  possi- 
bility of  instantaneous  conversion  and  the  assurances  or  witness  of 
the  Spirit  which  results  from  the  exercise  of  such  true  faith,  that  he 
convinced  John  Wesley  of  his  own  lack  of  faith.  Wesley  at  once 
began  to  seek  to  deepen  his  own  faith.  So  conscious  was  he  of 
his  lack  that  he  thought  of  giving  up  preaching,  but  Bohler's  advice, 
which  he  followed,  was,  "Preach  faith  till  you  have  it;  and  then, 
because  you  have  it,  you  will  preach  faith." 

On  May  24th  of  this  year,  according  to  his  Journal,  at  a  meet- 
ing of  a  society  in  Aldersgate  Street,  London,  he  received  a  pro- 
found religious  experience,  which  he  describes  as  follows:  "One 
was  reading  Luther's  preface  to  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans.  About 
a  quarter  before  nine,  while  he  was  describing  the  change  which 
God  works  in  the  heart  through  faith  in  Christ,  I  felt  my  heart 
strangely  warmed.  I  felt  I  did  trust  Christ,  Christ  alone,  for 
salvation ;  and  an  assurance  was  given  me  that  He  had  taken  away 
my  sins,  even  mine,  and  saved  me  from  the  law  of  sin  and  death." 
He  then  began  to  preach  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  with  new  power 
in  the  full  assurance  of  faith,  and  wonderful  results  followed. 
Being  prohibited  from  preaching  in  the  Established  Churches,  he 
went  everywhere  proclaiming  the  gospel  in  the  open  to  great  multi- 
tudes of  people. 

1739 — Preached  in  London,  at  "The  Foundry,"  fitted  for  re- 
ligious services,  and  here  began  the  organization  of  "bands"  or 
"classes"  and  "societies."  In  this  year  the  first  Methodist  chapel — - 
the  term  "church"  not  permitted  to  any  other  building  than  the 
Establishment — was  built  at  Bristol,  England. 

1744 — The  first  Methodist  Conference  was  held  at  "The 
Foundry,"  London.  There  were  present,  besides  John  Wesley 
and  his  brother  Charles,  four  regular  clergymen  of  the  Church  of 
England  and  four  lay  preachers. 

1791 — John  Wesley  died,  eighty-eight  years  of  age,  having 
preached  for  sixty-four  years.  During  that  time  he  had  preached 
42,000  sermons ;  had  been  oft  insulted,  abused,  many  times  beaten 
and  put  in  peril  of  death. 

No  preacher  since  the  days  when  Paul  reasoned  of  righteous- 
ness, temperance,  and  judgment  to  come,  equaled  him  in  moral 
power  or  in  achieving  permanent  benefits  and  blessings  to  mankind. 


Beginnings  of  Methodism.  19 

The  last  letter  he  wrote,  a  few  days  before  his  death,  was  to 
Wilberforce  to  encourage  him  in  his  great  and  later  successful 
fight  against  human  slavery  in  the  British  dominions.  "Servant 
of  God,  well  done !" 

METHODISM   IN  AMERICA. 

1766 — The  first  public  Methodist  preaching  in  North  America 
was  by  Philip  Embury,  at  his  house  on  Barrack  Street,  now  Park 
Place,  New  York  City. 

Embury  was  a  skilled  carpenter  by  occupation.  In  1760  he, 
his  wife,  his  cousin  Barbara  Heck,  of  saintly  fame,  and  a  few 
other  Methodists,  sailed  for  New  York  from  Limerick,  Ireland, 
at  which  place  Embury  had  been  a  class  leader  and  local  preacher. 
In  1766  Barbara  Heck  had  gathered  a  class  of  five  at  the  house 
of  Embury;  soon  there  were  two  classes  of  seven  each.  Embury 
was  invited  to  preach  at  the  Almshouse,  Williams  Street,  where 
the  superintendent  and  several  inmates  were  converted;  "the  poor 
had  the  gospel  preached  unto  them." 

Captain  Thomas  Webb,  barrack  master  at  Albany,  battered 
soldier,  having  lost  an  eye  at  the  siege  of  Louisburg,  Nova 
Scotia,  and  an  arm  crippled  at  Quebec  with  Wolfe,  was  a  local 
preacher,  licensed  by  Wesley,  and  had  preached  to  his  soldiers  in 
his  own  barrack  quarters.  Hearing  of  the  preaching  of  Embury, 
he  came  to  New  York,  wearing  his  uniform,  with  sword  and  belt, 
desiring  to  be  of  assistance  to  Embury. 

This  valiant  soldier  was  a  soldier  of  the  cross  and  was  the 
most  forceful  personality  in  the  founding  of  American  Methodism; 
he  possessed  position,  means,  and  unbounded  zeal. 

1768 — Wesley  Chapel,  John  Street,  New  York  City,  was  the 
first  Methodist  church  built  in  America;  planned  by  Barbara  Heck; 
42  x  60  feet,  built  of  stone.  Embury  made  the  pulpit.  Captain 
Webb,  now  retired,  gave  thirty  pounds,  and  lent  three  hundred 
pounds  without  interest,  and  then  went  out  to  solicit  subscriptions ; 
among  the  subscribers  were  the  lofty  and  lowly,  from  the  patrician 
Livingstones  to  the  lowly  African  maids. 

About  this  time  Robert  Strawbridge,  from  Ireland,  settled  in 
Frederick  County,  Maryland,  and  began  to  hold  meetings  and 
formed  a  society  near  Pipe  Creek.  The  first  native  American-born 
preacher,  Richard  Owen,  was  one  of  his  converts. 


20  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


In  this  year  Captain  Webb  carried  Methodism  to  Philadelphia, 
where  he  formed  a  class  of  seven  in  a  sail  loft  and  preached  from 
1768  to  1769. 

1770 — Captain  Webb  carried  Methodism  to  Baltimore,  and  with 
such  success  that  Methodism  has  ever  since  been  prominently 
active  there.  Webb  also  preached  at  Wilmington,  Delaware. 

1771 — Francis  Asbury,  the  Wesley  of  America,  was  sent  by 
John  Wesley  to  preach  the  gospel  in  the  Colonies.  Asbury  was 
born  1845,  the  son  of  a  comfortable  farmer  in  Staffordshire;  was 
converted  at  fourteen;  at  eighteen  a  local  preacher,  preaching  five 
sermons  a  week,  besides  working  at  his  calling;  at  twenty  started 
in  the  itinerancy,  and  after  five  years  of  hard  service,  upon  Wesley 
calling  for  volunteers  for  service  in  America,  Asbury  was  one  of 
the  five  who  volunteered  and  one  of  the  two  who  were  chosen. 

1772 — Asbury,  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven,  was  appointed  by 
Wesley  as  "superintendent"  in  charge  of  the  Methodist  societies 
in  America. 

1773 — The  first  Methodist  Conference  in  America  was  held  in 
Philadelphia.  There  were  ten  preachers  in  attendance,  and  1,160 
class  members  reported. 

1779 — At  Conference  held  at  Fluvanna,  Va.,  of  twenty-seven 
present,  seventeen  voted  against  separation  from  the  Established 
Church  of  England.  Members  of  the  Methodist  societies  continued 
to  partake  of  the  communion  in  the  Established  Churches.  Wesley 
approved  this  action. 

1780 — At  this  Conference  the  distilling  of  grain  into  liquor 
and  the  institution  of  human  slavery  were  both  condemned.  This 
was  before  Wilberforce  wrote  his  attack  upon  slavery. 

1781 — The  results  of  the  American  Revolution  had  left  the 
Church  of  England  in  America  in  a  very  unpopular  and  weakened 
condition.  WTesley  saw  that  something  must  be  done  to  satisfy 
the  demand  for  the  administration  of  the  sacraments,  and  as  the 
English  bishops  had  previously  refused  to  ordain  a  bishop  for  the 
Methodist  societies  here,  he  determined  to  consecrate  one  by  pres- 
byters alone,  and  selected  and  consecrated  Thomas  Coke,  a  graduate 
ordained  clergyman  of  the  Church  of  England.  Thomas  Coke  came 
to  America,  becoming  the  first  Protestant  bishop  in  the  New  World, 
bringing  with  him  a  plan  of  Church  government  and  a  liturgy,  with 
an  order  of  service,  drawn  by  Wesley.  Wesley  preferred  the 


Beginnings  of  Methodism.  21 

Episcopal  form  of  Church  government,  but  did  not  consider  it 
essential. 

Francis  Asbury,  who  had,  under  Wesley's  appointment,  super- 
intended the  Methodist  societies  since  1772,  was  consecrated  the 
second  bishop.  The  twelve  years  he  had  spent  in  America  had 
tinged  him  with  the  spirit  of  democracj^,  for  he  insisted  that  elec- 
tion by  the  General  Conference  should  precede  his  consecration. 
He  was  elected  unanimously,  as  was  Thomas  Coke  also,  and  thus 
was  established  the  democratic  rule  of  the  election  of  bishops  by  the 
General  Conference. 

In  1784  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  formally  or- 
ganized in  Baltimore,  Maryland,  with  about  15,000  members  and 
eighty- four  preachers.  It  now  (1913)  has  about  3,400,000  mem- 
bers with  over  20,000  preachers,  and  over  4,000,000  in  its  Sunday 
schools,  not  to  mention  the  1,500,000  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  South,  and  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church  and 
other  bodies  that  belong  to  the  Methodist  family. 


[The  following  is  an  extract  from  an  address  delivered  by  Bishop  Moore  at  the  Centennial 
Session  of  the  Ohio  Conference  in  1912.— EDITOR.! 


II. 

The  Growth  of  Methodism. 

BISHOP  DAVID  H.  MOORE,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

THE  growth  of  Methodism  is  phenomenal.  Beginning  with  a  quar- 
tet of  worthy  students  in  Christ  Church  College,  having  the  form 
and  seeking  the  power  of  godliness,  dubbed  therefore  "The  Holy 
Club/'  and  later,  because  of  their  severely  methodical  living,  "Meth- 
odists," Methodism  had  no  augury  of  success  in  the  circumstances 
of  its  birth.  Making  its  calling  to  the  poor,  to  the  outcast,  to  the 
criminal,  it  had  neither  the  patronage  of  rank,  the  support  of 
riches,  nor  the  endorsement  of  respectability.  It  was  a  reflection 
upon  The  Establishment:  illegitimate,  unprecedented. 

Yet  this  was  the  handful  of  corn  in  the  earth  upon  the  top  of 
the  mountains,  the  fruit  whereof  should  shake  like  Lebanon,  and 
they  of  the  city  should  flourish  like  grass  of  the  earth.  Like  their 
Master,  despised  and  rejected,  their  name  cast  out  as  evil,  mocked, 
mobbed,  driven  from  city  to  city,  yet  they  turned  the  world  upside 
down ;  compelled  first  attention,  then  respect ;  their  mission  flour- 
ishing in  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth;  their  sons  honored  in 
Parliament,  entrusted  with  governmental  responsibilities,  enrolled 
among  scholars,  jurists,  and  statesmen;  and  but  yesterday,  in  Lon- 
don itself,  dedicating  a  cathedral  whose  inspiring  architecture  is 
not  dwarfed  by  its  nearness  to  the  hoary  magnificence  of  West- 
minster Abbey.  Not  less  striking  is  its  growth  in  America. 
Twenty-eight  years  after  its  birth  in  England,  and  ten  before  the 
Declaration  of  Independence,  pollen  blown  from  the  windswept 
Moorfields  fertilized  the  dying  faith  of  Embury  in  New  York.  He 
preached  the  first  Methodist  sermon  in  America,  in  the  basement 
of  his  humble  Barrack  Street  lodgings,  to  Barbara  and  Paul  Heck, 
John  Lawrence,  a  hired  man,  and  Betty,  a  colored  servant.  Xot 
only  was  it  thus  contemptible  in  its  initial  weakness  and  poverty, 
but  New  York  and  the  Colonies  were  pre-empted  by  strong,  dom- 
inating and  domineering  Church  organizations.  In  the  little  city 

22 


Growth  of  Methodism. 


of  New  York,  with  barely  eighteen  thousand  inhabitants,  there 
were  fourteen  churches,  representing  nine  different  denominations. 
The  Congregationalists  had  been  here  one  hundred  and  forty-seven 
years,  and  had  five  hundred  pastors  and  six  hundred  churches ;  the 
Lutherans  one  hundred  and  seven  years,  and  had  sixty  ministers 
and  twenty-five  churches;  the  Dutch  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven 


BISHOP  DAVID  H.  MOORE,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

years,  and  had  three  hundred  and  sixty-four  ministers  and  three 
hundred  and  sixty-four  churches ;  the  Presbyterians  eighty-one 
years  and  had  one  hundred  ministers  and  three  hundred  churches; 
all  in  all,  fifteen  hundred  ministers  and  two  thousand  churches. 
Thus  overshadowed,  and,  in  addition,  handicapped  by  poverty, 
calumny,  and  persecution,  the  prospect  for  Methodism  was  poor 
indeed.1 

Besides,  all  that  Paul  suffered  for  the  gospel's  sake  was  vir- 
tually duplicated  by  the  Methodists  in  England  and  reduplicated  in 
America:  Lashes,  beatings,  stonings,  journey  ings,  perils  of  waters, 
perils  of  robbers,  perils  in  the  city  and  in  the  wilderness,  weari- 


1  Statistical  History,  First  Century  Am.  Meth.— G6si. 


24  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

ness,  painfulness,  watchings,  hunger,  thirst,  and  nakedness.  Taylor 
was  drummed  out  of  town,  Willard's  eye  permanently  injured, 
Door's  nose  publicly  wrung,  Hedding  cursed  on  the  highway, 
Washburn  hooted  through  the  village,  Wood  horsewhipped,  Sabin 
knocked  down  with  the  butt  of  a  gun,  Kibby  stoned.2  Add  the 
unmeasured  dangers  of  the  trackless  wilderness,  swollen  streams, 
jaws  of  wild  beasts,  and  more  deadly  tomahawk  of  blood-thirsty 
savages.  And  yet,  despite  them  all,  Embury's  Barrack  Street  base- 
ment congregation  of  three  humble  laborers  and  one  poor  colored 
servant  has  grown  until  it  has  left  behind  all  its  predecessors  and 
rivals,  and  fills  the  earth  with  its  increase.  Totally  disregarding 
the  Eastern  Section,  with  its  7,194  ministers,  its  59,046  local 
preachers,  its  1,358.880  members,  and  its  2,211,674  Sunday  school 
scholars,  the  Western  Section  alone,  the  legitimate  outcome  of 
Philip  Embury's  congregation  of  just  four  souls,  presents  the 
astonishing  summary  of  48,614  ministers,  39,075  local  preachers, 
7,409,736  members,  6,685,281  Sunday  school  scholars,  officers,  and 
teachers,  $282,263,015  in  church  property.  Or,  since  this  is  the 
centennial  of  the  organization  of  the  Ohio  and  Tennessee  Confer- 
ences out  of  the  old  Western  Conference,  confine  the  survey  to 
the  growth  of  our  Church  on  the  territory  covered  by  that  old 
Conference  or  naturally  included  in  its  possible  development,  and 
we  are  still  more  amazed  to  find  94  Conferences,  12,834  ministers, 
1,999,054  members,  and  churches  and  parsonages  valued  at  $114,- 
390,230 !  And  we  have  said  nothing  of  Methodism's  great  agencies, 
publishing,  missionary,  Sunday  school,  educational,  hospital,  or- 
phanages, old  people's  homes,  deaconess  institutions,  and  all  the 
long  list  in  which  we  reverently  rejoice  and  make  our  boast  in 
the  Lord. 

Nor  have  we  spoken  of  the  enveloping  atmosphere  of  religious 
and  social  development,  worthy  a  whole  period  of  our  consideration. 
Denominations  which  once  apologized  for  having  anything  to  do 
with  our  organic  life  now  apologize  if  they  are  not  in  evangelical 
alliance  with  us.  They  have  improved  their  doctrines  and  methods 
by  studying  ours.  They  are  fishing  in  our  clerical  waters  for  our 
finest  trout,  baiting  their  hooks  with  fine  churches  and  large  sal- 
aries, and  justifiably  proud  of  their  success.  Socially  and  polit- 


2  Stevens'  History. 


Growth  of  Methodism.  25 

ically  Methodism  is  everywhere  reckoned  with.  Reform  move- 
ments find  in  her  a  strong  ally,  benevolence  an  unfailing  support. 
Her  sons  rank  with  the  foremost  in  letters  and  science  and  com- 
merce. They  are  to  be  found  in  State  and  National  councils ;  they 
preside  over  Commonwealths  and  Nations,  and  lead  our  navies  and 
armies. 

Surely  it  is  God's  work;  it  is  marvelous  in  our  eyes. 


(The  following  extract  from  an  address  by  Dr.  Arbuckle  at  the  Centennial  Session  of  Ohio  Con- 
ference, 1912,  is  of  value  and  interest  because  the  territory  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference  was 
formerly  included  in  the  Ohio  Conference.— EDITOR.] 


III. 

The  First  Century  of  the  Ohio 
Conference. 

REV.  J.  C.  ARBUCKLE,  D.  D. 

THE  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  entered  upon  her  mission  in  the 
Western  World  contemporaneously  with  the  beginning  of  the  strug- 
gle of  the  American  Colonies  for  independence  and  liberty.  The 
birth  throes  of  the  American  Republic  were  on  when  Methodism 
began  her  work  on  the  soil  of  the  Western  World.  The  Declaration 
of  Independence  and  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  were  but  ten  years 
distant. 

The  life  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  practically  runs 
parallel  with  the  life  of  the  Republic  of  the  United  States  of 
America.  From  the  beginning  Methodism  identified  herself  with 
the  American  idea  and  heartily  espoused  the  principles  of  popular 
government  and  democratic  ideals.  From  the  beginning  until  now 
it  has  never  been  necessary  for  any  persons  or  party  to  keep  an 
eye  on  Methodism  to  see  whether  or  not  she  would  be  loyal  and 
true  to  democratic  and  American  institutions.  Methodism  has 
never  had  any  other  allegiance  save  to  American  ideals ;  she  is 
indigenous,  American,  and  democratic  to  her  very  heart's  core. 

Methodism  has  stood  and  stands  for  a  distinct  and  definite 
movement  in  the  name  of  religion,  and  that  religion  is  a  spiritual 
power  to  be  personally  realized  in  the  life  of  men  and  to  be  prac- 
tically applied  to  the  whole  life  of  the  world. 

Methodism  could  not  rest  satisfied  with  the  mere  forms  and 
formalities  of  religion;  with  the  officialism  of  ecclesiasticism,  or 
the  articulation  of  merely  precise  and  accepted  doctrinal  formula. 
Methodism  with  wide-open  eyes  looked  out  upon  the  great,  broad 
field  of  a  world's  moral  and  spiritual  need.  She  saw  that  men 
were  not  living  right;  that  they  were  under  the  power  of  greed, 
lust,  avarice,  hate,  and  selfishness.  She  saw  that  it  would  require 

26 


The  First  Century  of  the  Ohio  Conference.  27 

greatly  more  than  the  application  of  observed  forms,  ordinances, 
doctrinal  assumptions,  and  ecclesiastical  pretensions  to  get  a  remedy 
and  cure  for  an  ailment  whose  roots  struck  down  into  the  very 
heart-life  of  humanity.  Methodism  knew  full  well  that  the  white- 
wash of  ceremonial  forms,  of  priestly  pretensions  and  ecclesiastical 
assumptions  were  by  no  means  adequate  to  the  cure.  Something 
more  than  surface  treatment  and  outward  applications  were  re- 
quired ;  nothing  short  of  repentance  for  sin,  and  of  faith  toward 
God  through  Jesus  Christ,  giving  to  men  a  new  heart  and  a  new 
life,  would  put  them  and  the  world  right  before  God.  We  do 
well  to  eulogize  our  great  statesmen  and  men  of  public  life,  the 
Putnams,  Washingtons,  Lincolns,  and  Grants,  the  brave,  patriotic 
men  of  Lexington,  Valley  Forge,  Gettysburg,  Vicksburg,  Atlanta, 
and  the  Wilderness,  and  to  build  monuments  to  their  memory ; 
but  we  may  never  forget  the  Methodist  itinerant  preachers  who, 
amidst  hardships,  sacrifice,  and  peril,  helped  to  lay  the  foundations 
of  the  Republic  by  keeping  the  high  spiritual  standards  of  the 
Christian  religion  at  the  very  front  of  our  advancing  and  developing 
National  life.  These  were  the  men  who  placed  their  shoulders 
beneath  the  whole  moral  sky  to  hold  it  up ;  who  endured  perils  by 
day  and  perils  by  night ;  perils  in  the  deep,  untrodden  forests ; 
perils  in  the  prairies,  perils  among  savages,  perils  on  every  hand 
and  of  every  kind,  yet  went  forth  preaching  the  way  of  the  Lord, 
finding  the  last  cabin  and  the  outmost  settlements,  preaching  the 
everlasting  gospel,  and  making  sure  and  secure  our  glorious  heritage 
of  independence  and  freedom.  We  do  not  forget  the  great  and 
noble  work  done  by  other  Churches  in  those  pioneer  days ;  but  I 
am  persuaded  we  shall  never  know  the  full  measure  of  obligation 
and  debt  of  gratitude  to  the  Methodist  itinerant  preacher  who  kept 
pace  with  our  advancing  civilization  in  the  early  days  of  our  Re- 
public. 

With  the  close  of  the  War  of  the  Revolution  and  the  establish- 
ment of  American  independence  there  devolved  upon  the  people 
the  responsibility  of  setting  up  the  institutions  and  forms  of  pop- 
ular government.  The  attention  of  the  people  was  turned  toward 
the  pursuits  of  peace  and  of  material  prosperity.  Naturally  the 
movement  of  population  was  towards  the  unoccupied  regions  of  the 
West  and  South,  seeking  homes,  opening  up  the  forests,  and  estab- 
lishing new  Commonwealths.  As  westward  the  star  of  the  Re- 


28  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

public  took  its  course,  new  settlements  were  formed  in  the  Terri- 
tories of  Tennessee,  Virginia,  and  Kentucky,  coming  north  to  the 
banks  of  the  beautiful  Ohio  River.  These  restless  frontiersmen 
soon  began  to  push  out  into  the  wilds  north  of  the  Ohio  River; 
hence  to  meet  the  demands  of  this  advancing  tide  of  immigration 
what  was  known  as  the  Northwestern  Territory  was  formed,  em- 
bracing the  area  of  a  vast  empire,  the  territory  now  included  in 
the  Commonwealths  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Michigan,  and  Wis- 
consin. With  a  view  to  opening  this  great  Northwest  Territory 
to  settlers  and  giving  the  people  guarantees  of  safety,  Congress 
drew  up  and  adopted  that  memorable  and  historic  document,  known 
as  the  Ordinance  of  1787,  and  designated  as  the  Ordinance  of 
Freedom — second  only  in  importance  to  the  Magna  Charta  and 
the  Declaration  of  Independence.  This  instrument  gave  to  all  the 
necessary  guarantees  of  civil  and  religious  liberty,  and  provided 
forever  against  the  institution  of  human  slavery  and  involuntary 
servitude.  At  once  settlements  began  to  form  north  of  the  Ohio 
River,  the  first  of  which  were  at  the  junction  of  the  Muskingum 
and  the  Ohio  Rivers,  now  Marietta,  then  at  Gallipolis,  Chillicothe, 
and  the  junction  of  the  Miami  and  Ohio  Rivers,  now  Cincinnati. 
The  most  noted  of  these  settlements  was  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mus- 
kingum, now  Marietta.  These  settlers  were  almost  as  memorable 
as  were  the  Pilgrim  Fathers.  They  set  out  from  a  point  on  the 
Ohio  River  near  the  present  site  of  the  city  of  Pittsburgh  in  a 
magnificent  flotilla  consisting  of  three  log  canoes,  one  forty-five-ton 
galley  called  the  Mayfloicer,  and  a  three- ton  ferry  called  the 
Adolphus.  The  landing  of  this  famous  flotilla  at  Fort  Harmar, 
now  Marietta,  with  its  forty-eight  men  as  against  forty-one  in  the 
original  Mayflower,  and  men  of  equally  as  good  stuff,  was  the 
opening,  in  1787,  of  the  great  Northwest  Territory  to  settlers. 
The  most  distinguished  member  of  this  group  of  settlers  was  Gen- 
eral Rufus  Putnam,  through  whose  influence  chiefly  the  passage 
of  the  great  Ordinance  of  1787  was  secured. 

With  the  formation  of  these  frontier  settlements  came  the  call 
for  the  Christian  ministry  and  the  Christian  Church.  Among  the 
first  to  answer  the  call  was  the  Methodist  itinerant.  Upon  these 
itinerants  rested  the  responsibilty  both  of  delivering  a  message  and 
performing  a  work.  Sounding  in  their  ears  were  the  words  of 
John  Wesley  to  George  Shadford  when  he  thus  addressed  him, 


The  First  Century  of  the  Ohio  Conference.  29 

"George,  I  turn  you  loose  on  the  great  continent  of  America.  Pub- 
lish your  commission  in  the  face  of  the  sun."  And  also  the  echo 
of  the  words  of  Mr.  Wesley  when,  finding  himself  without  recog- 
nition or  privilege  or  place,  without  a  parish  or  a  pulpit,  he  had 
said:  "Well,  so  be  it.  Henceforth  the  world  is  my  parish."  Such, 
I  take  it,  were  some  of  the  inspirations  in  the  valley  of  the  Ohio. 
During  these  years  of  immigration  Westward  and  of  the  opening 
up  of  our  great  Western  domain  to  civilization,  the  growth  of 
Methodism  was  almost  phenomenal.  With  the  organization  of  the 
Western  Conference,  in  1796,  six  great  Conferences  had  been 
formed  in  the  Republic  within  the  space  of  about  twenty  years. 
This  great  Western  Conference  has  been  described  as  being 
bounded  on  the  east  by  the  Alleghenies,  on  the  south  by  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico,  on  the  north  by  the  aurora  borealis,  and  on  the  west 
by  the  setting  sun.  At  all  events,  this  new  Conference  extended 
west  and  north  to  the  limits  of  civilization. 

The  first  Methodist  preaching  north  and  west  of  the  Ohio  River 
in  the  Northwest  Territory  was  probably  at  Warrentown,  Jefferson 
County,  Ohio,  in  1787,  by  the  Rev.  George  Callahan.  In  the 
southwest  portion  the  first  Methodist  preacher  north  of  the  Ohio 
River  was  the  Rev.  Francis  Clark,  a  local  preacher  from  Ken- 
tucky, who  visited  Fort  Washington,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Miami 
River,  now  Cincinnati,  in  1793.  In  1795  the  Rev.  James  Smith, 
from  Virginia,  crossed  the  Ohio  River  at  Cincinnati  and  preached 
in  the  cabin  of  a  Mr.  Talbert.  But  it  was  not  until  1798  that  any 
Methodist  societies  were  organized  north  of  the  Ohio  River.  The 
first  class  organized  was  by  the  Rev.  John  Kobler,  of  Kentucky, 
who  crossed  the  Ohio  River  at  Columbia,  now  Cincinnati,  preach- 
ing and  organizing  a  class  of  twenty-one  persons  in  the  home  of 
Francis  McCormick,  a  local  preacher.  The  second  class  organized 
north  of  the  Ohio  River  was  at  Marietta,  in  1799,  by  the  Rev. 
Robert  Manley,  in  the  home  of  William  McCabe,  consisting  of  six 
persons.  With  the  organization  of  these  classes  Methodism  began 
rapidly  to  push  north  and  west  in  the  Northwest  Territory,  form- 
ing in  the  space  of  a  very  few  years  in  these  frontier  settlements 
a  number  of  circuits,  the  first  and  most  important  of  which  were 
the  Muskingum,  the  Miami,  and  Scioto  Circuits.  All  the  preaching 
places  to  begin  with  were  in  the  cabins  of  the  settlers.  The  first 
house  of  worship  built  north  of  the  Ohio  River  was  a  log  meeting 


30  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

house  on  Scioto  Brush  Creek,  Scioto  Circuit,  called  Moore's  Chapel, 
built  by  the  Rev.  Henry  Smith  in  1800.  The  General  Conference, 
held  in  the  city  of  New  York,  May,  1812,  made  an  end  of  the 
Western  Conference  by  dividing  it  into  two  Conferences,  the  Ten- 
nessee and  the  Ohio.  The  Ohio  Conference  included  the  whole 
of  the  State  of  Ohio,  part  of  the  States  of  New  York,  Pennsyl- 
vania, Virginia,  Kentucky,  and  all  of  the  Northwest  Territory. 
It  consisted  of  five  presiding  elders'  districts — the  Ohio,  Mus- 
kingum,  Miami,  Kentucky,  and  Salt  River.  The  presiding  elders 
were  the  Reverends  James  Quinn,  Jacob  Young,  John  Sale,  Solo- 
mon Langdon,  and  David  Young. 

From  the  first  until  now,  Ohio  Methodism  and  all  Methodism 
has  stood  for  an  aggressive  evangelism,  and  such  an  evangelism 
has  had  no  small  part  in  the  building  and  making  of  both  our  great 
Commonwealth  and  our  Republic.  These  are  the  strong  words 
of  a  distinguished  English  divine,  who  recently  gave  them  utter- 
ance, "God  will  save  America  by  the  instrument  of  American 
Methodism."  The  Methodist  Church  has  never  been  the  ally  of 
the  liquor  traffic  or  of  corrupt  public  life.  Ever  and  ever  she  has 
been  the  open  and  aggressive  enemy  of  corrupt  politics,  and  against 
the  drink  traffic  and  the  open  saloon  she  has  stood  with  the  strength 
of  a  mighty  militant  host. 

There  has  been  no  lion's  den  of  iniquity  anywhere,  from  the 
days  of  slavery  until  now,  that  she  has  feared  to  beard  and  to 
storm  and  to  help  to  take.  Show  us  any  institution  that  is  a  moral, 
social,  or  civic  menace,  and  Methodism  will  join  hands  with  any 
and  with  all  to  move  against  the  same.  Methodism  has  never 
assumed  an  attitude  of  aloofness  to  other  Christian  Churches.  She 
has  always  carried  with  her  the  open  heart  and  the  open  mind. 
Her  hand  and  heart  have  ever  been  as  the  hand  and  heart  of  a 
big  brother  ready  to  co-operate  and  help  for  religious  betterment 
and  the  public  good. 

Mr.  Phelps  said  a  strong  thing  when  he  declared  that  "Meth- 
odism has  been  to  the  whole  of  Christianity  what  new  blood  is  to 
decaying  dynasties  and  civilizations." 

The  pioneer  fathers  and  mothers  of  our  Methodism  had  no 
hesitation  in  proclaiming  their  faith  and  hope  to  the  world.  How 
fine  it  would  be  if  the  Methodism  of  the  present  would  speak  up 
for  Christ  and  tell  to  the  world  the  great  things  God  has  done  for 


The  First  Century  of  the  Ohio  Conference.  31 

them !     It  would  almost  be  like  the  coming  again  of  the  day  of 
miracles. 

Times,  methods,  and  customs  may  change.  The  old  guard  may 
pass ;  but  still  there  remain  in  our  Ithaca,  Ulysses  able  to  bend 
the  bow  and  smite  the  hosts  of  evil.  Still  we  have  our  Atlases, 
whose  brave  hearts,  strong  arms,  and  broad  shoulders  will  hold 
up  the  moral  sky  of  the  world.  We  are  to-day  facing  and  pos- 
sessing a  vastly  wider  field  of  Christian  opportunity  and  effort  than 
ever  before.  In  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  we  are  laying  hands 
upon  the  ends  of  the  earth.  The  poor  are  having  the  gospel 
preached  to  them ;  the  blind  see ;  the  deaf  hear ;  the  dead  are  being 
raised  up,  and  the  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord  is  being  proclaimed. 
Wickedness  in  high  places,  in  hidden  places,  in  all  places  is  being 
smitten  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  God  of  hosts.  Brqtherliness  and 
righteousness,  in  sweet  and  glad  accord,  are  stretching  forth  hands 
of  good-will  across  the  face  of  the  whole  earth.  Truly — 

"He  has  sounded  forth  the  trumpet  that  shall  never  call  retreat; 
He  is  sifting  out  the  hearts  of  men  before  his  judgment  seat; 
O,  be  swift  my  soul  to  answer  Him;  be  jubilant  my  feet; 
Our  God  is  marching  on." 


IV. 

The  Black  Swamp. 

"  Should  you  ask  me,  Whence  these  stories  ? 
Whence  these  legends  and  traditions, 
With  the  odors  of  the  feast, 
With  the  dew  and  damp  of  meadows, 
With  the  curling  smoke  of  wigwams, 
With  the  rushing  of  great  rivers, 
With  their  frequent  repetition, 
.     And  their  wild  reverberation, 
As  of  thunder  in  the  mountains  ? 
I  should  answer,  I  should  tell  you, 
From  the  forest  and  the  prairies, 
From  the  Great  Lakes  of  the  Northland, 
From  the  land  of  the  Ottawas, 
From  the  land  of  the  Miamis." — LONGFELLOW. 

"THE   famous   'Black  Swamp'   reaches   over  an  extent  of  country 
one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  long  and  on  an  average  of   forty 
miles  wide,  and  embraces  eighteen  counties  in  Northwestern  Ohio — 
Allen,  Auglaize,  Crawford,  Defiance,  Fulton, 
Hancock,    Henry,    Lucas,    Mercer,    Ottawa, 
Paulding,    Putnam,    Sandusky,    Seneca,    Van 
Wert,  Williams,  Wood,  and  \Vyandotte.     The 
Black   Swamp   and  the   Maumee   Valley   de- 
scribe practically  the  same  region;  but  only 
a    part    of    the    counties    mentioned    include 
properly  the  Black  Swamp.     No  portion  of 
PIONEER  LAMP.          the  country  embraced  in  these  counties  can 
really  be  called  hilly,  though  several  of  them 

are  slightly  undulating,  as  Allen,  Auglaize,  and  the  northern  part 
of  Williams.  Generally  the  region  called  the  Black  Swamp  is  a 
long  expanse  of  monotonous  surface.  Portions  of  this  region  are 
marked  by  what  is  known  as  'Sand  Ridge,'  'Oak  Ridge,'  and  'Sugar 
Ridge,'  along  which  lie  broad  acres  of  very  rich  and  fertile  land. 
This  section  of  the  State,  especially  certain  portions  of  it,  was 

32 


The  Black  Swamp.  33 


slow  to  be  settled,  the  dense  growth  of  forest  trees  with  their 
branches  and  foliage  almost  impenetrable  to  the  rays  of  the  sun, 
and  the  low  swaley  condition  of  the  ground,  forbidding  even  the 
most  resolute  and  dauntless  pioneers  to  enter  it.  The  top  soil  of 
the  swamp  is  about  a  foot  thick  and  composed  of  a  black,  decayed 
vegetable  matter  extremely  fertile.  Beneath  this  and  extending 
several  feet  down  is  a  rich  yellow  clay,  having  large  quantities  of 
excellent  fertilizing  material;  and  lower  still  is  a  stratum  of  black 
clay  of  great  depth.  The  soil  is  excellent  for  grain  and  for  almost 
all  products,  fruits  included."  In  the  not  long  ago  allusions  to  the 
Black  Swamp  were  sometimes  attended  with  suspicion,  and  even  a 
contemptuous  smile.  Persons  were  very  wary  of  it  and  incredulous 
as  to  its  possibility  of  conquest  and  development.  In  the  days  of 
the  swamp's  unexplored  and  "unnavigated"  history,  it  was  thought 
of  as  a  stretch  of  unconquerable  bogs  and  unruly  swales  and  ugly 
ponds  in  which  frogs  croaked  and  tadpoles  wiggled  and  reptiles 
reveled;  and  into  which,  if  any  one  should  chance  to  fall  or  by 
some  unaccountable  experience  be  lured,  he  was  sure  to  sink  into 
depths  below,  from  which  it  would  be  quite  impossible  to  extri- 
cate him. 

The  great  forests  with  their  tangled  masses  and  meshes  of  rank 
weeds  and  thick  undergrowth  were  supposed  by  the  credulous 
imagination  to  be  loud  with  strange  sounds  and  noises  of  wild 
and  ferocious  beasts  and  untamed  tribes  of  savage  beings,  while 
in  chance  abodes,  crude  and  primitive,  there  could  be  found,  if  one 
possessed  the  boldness  of  undaunted  adventure,  half-clad  creatures 
of  the  genus  homo  feeding  on  roots  and  herbs.  This  picture,  drawn 
in  all  probability  by  persons  reared  on  the  sand  among  the  hills, 
was  forbidding  in  the  extreme,  save  perhaps  to  him  who  might 
be  going  forth  in  search  of  prehistoric  man.  "The  Black  Swamp," 
dismal,  dreary,  and  disenchanting,  how  could  anything  good  or 
great  ever  emerge  from  such  impossibilities?  But  what  changes 
and  transformations  have  been  realized  in  this  part  of  the  Com- 
monwealth, where  once  there  was  nothing  but  bogs  and  frogs  and 
horned  animals !  Prophecy  has  been  wonderfully  fulfilled,  for 
the  "desert  has  blossomed  as  the  rose,"  and  instead  of  -the  "brier 
there  has  come  up  the  fig  tree,"  and  where  the  marsh  and  swale 
were  to  be  seen,  broad  and  beautiful  plains  invite  the  friends  and 
captains  of  industry ;  where  primitive  and  untutored  nature  reigned, 


34  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

art  arid  culture  have  been  enthroned,  and  now  distant  tribes  are 
longing  to  "possess  the  land." 

The  forests  have  been  felled,  the  lands  have  been  drained, 
the  miasmas  have  been  driven  out,  comfortable  and  beautiful 
homes  have  been  established;  great  farms  mark  the  landscape,  on 
which  fine  barns  and  spacious  have  been  built;  good  roads  thread 
the  country,  modest  chapels  and  imposing  church  edifices  have  been 
erected,  prosperous  communities  have  been  organized,  colleges  have 
been  founded,  noble  county  seats  and  thriving  towns  relieve  and 
beautify  the  situation,  plenty  abounds,  and  Methodism  has  her 
share  of  the  heritage.  Splendid  rivers,  among  them  the  Auglaize 
and  the  Maumee,  traverse  the  country,  adding  value  to  real  estate 
and  furnishing  fine  water  power  for  great  and  important  engineery ; 
while  in  the  meantime  all  those  strange  hobgoblins  and  ghosts 
which  once  held  man  aloof  have  betaken  themselves  to  plague  for- 
ever those  who  in  years  gone  by  were  wont  to  smile  and  nod 
incredulously  whenever  a  brighter  and  better  day  was  prophesied 
for  the  Black  Swamp  of  Northwestern  Ohio. 

And  very  much  of  all  this  wonderful  change  and  varied  im- 
provement has  been  due  to  the  intrepid  and  persistent  faith  and 
heroism  of  the  Methodist  itinerant,  who,  like  an  angel  of  religion 
and  culture,  fears  not  to  penetrate  any  wilderness  nor  to  cross  any 
sea.  Judging  from  some  incidents  in  the  early  histories  of  the 
Black  Swamp  region,  one  might  conclude  that  some  of  our  twentieth 
century  wide-awake  and  shrewd  business  men  may  be  descendants 
of  the  early  settlers  of  Northwestern  Ohio,  for  that  day  was  not 
without  men  who  rested  their  eye  on  the  main  chance  and  who 
were  given  to  "graft" — a  term,  however,  then  not  known,  it  may  be, 
in  the  vernacular  of  the  people.  Mr.  Howe,  in  his  admirable  his- 
tory of  Ohio,  cites  the  instance  in  early  times  of  what  some  one, 
perhaps  Mr.  Howe  himself,  has  called  the  "Mud  Hole  Franchise:" 
"Among  the  cultivated  industries  of  that  region  at  one  time  was 
the  furnishing  of  relief  to  travelers,  chiefly  immigrants,  whose 
teams  were  found  to  be  incompetent  for  the  condition  of  the  roads, 
the  chief  difficulty  arising  in  their  becoming  stalled  in  the  successive 
'mud-holes.'  So  common  had  this  become  that  some  landlords  pro- 
vided themselves  with  extra  yokes  of  oxen  with  which  to  extend 
the  needed  relief.  This  business  came  to  be  so  far  systematized 
that  rights  of  settlers  to  the  mud-holes  nearest  them  were  mutually 


The  Black  Swamp.  35 


recognized.  It  was  told  that,  on  a  time,  a  certain  tavern  keeper 
who  had  long  held  undisputed  possession  of  a  particularly  fine 
'mud-hole/  which  he  had  cultivated  with  special  care  for  the  profit 
it  brought  him,  sold  his  stand,  preparatory  to  leaving  the  country. 
Regarding  his  interest  in  the  'hole'  as  a  franchise  too  valuable 
to  be  abandoned,  he  finally  sold  his  quit-claim  thereto  to  a  neighbor 
for  the  sum  of  $5,  being  probably  the  only  case  on  record  of  the 
sale  of  a  'mud-hole'  for  use  as  such." 

The  Maumee  Valley,  which  is  a  part  of  the  Black  Swamp 
region,  has  been  the  theater  of  important  historical  incidents  and 
events,  and  at  the  mention  of  the  name  there  rise  up  before  us 
the  intrepid  George  Clark;  the  "Blacksnake,"  General  Anthony 
Wayne ;  the  calm,  careful  General  William  Henry  Harrison ;  the 
valiant  Croghan;  the  wily,  masterful  Pontiac,  and  the  no  less 
shrewd  and  able  Tecumseh. 

The  aborigines  who  inhabited  this  section  were  bold,  brave, 
shrewd,  and  with  an  unusually  high  order  of  intelligence.  In 
stature  the  Miamis  were  of  medium  height;  well  built;  heads  round, 
rather  than  oblong;  countenances  agreeable,  rather  than  sedate  or 
morose;  swift  of  foot,  and  excessively  fond  of  racing.  They  were 
from  their  position  less  exposed  to  the  poison  of  the  whisky  keg 
and  the  example  of  debauched  traders,  and  retained  their  ancient 
character  and  customs  in  greater  purity  than  their  Eastern  neigh- 
bors. 

The  Maumee  has  no  beginnings  such  as  we  ascribe  to  the  typical 
river;  there  is  no  bubbling  spring,  or  trickling  rivulet,  or  babbling 
brook  to  gradually  grow  into  a  broad  river.  The  St.  Joseph,  from 
the  north,  meets  the  St.  Mary's,  from  the  south;  these  uniting  at 
Fort  Wayne,  Indiana,  become  the  Maumee,  and  this  starts  in  bold- 
ness and  strength  for  Lake  Erie,  meeting  the  Auglaize  at  Defiance, 
and  entering  Maumee  Bay,  five  miles  northeast  of  Toledo,  after 
its  journey  of  one  hundred  miles. 

The  Maumee  was  known  to  the  early  French  explorers  as  the 
River  a  la  Roche;  it  was  also  mentioned  as  Rock  River.  At  a 
later  date  it  was  the  "River  of  the  Miamis,"  and  then  became  the 
"Miami  of  the  Lake,"  to  distinguish  it  from  the  Great  Miami,  or 
the  Miami  of  the  River,  which  flowed  into  the  Ohio.  Colonel  Clark, 
in  his  journal,  1779,  spells  it  "Meami,"  which  was  probably  as 
he  heard  it  called. 


36  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

As  late  as  1805,  Harris,  in  his  "Journal  of  a  Tour"  that  he 
made  to  Ohio  in  1803,  mentioned  the  river  as  "The  Miami  of  the 
Lake,  sometimes  called  Omee,  and  Maumick."  The  French  would 
naturally  give  the  "a"  in  the  word  a  broad  sound — "ah" — and  this 
to  English  ears  might  well  sound  like  "Me-ah-mee,"  and  be  easily 
fashioned  into  Maumee.  Indeed,  where  Harris  mentions  the  Great 
Miami,  he  has  a  footnote  saying  it  is  prouounced  "Mawmee." 

EARLY  FRENCH  EXPLORERS. 

The  Maumee  Valley  was  very  early  known  to  the  untiring 
French  explorers — the  priests  and  the  soldiers.  By  this  route, 
with  only  two  short  portages,  they  had  access  to  the  Miami  on  the 
south  and  to  the  Ohio  and  to  the  Wabash  on  the  southwest,  and 
the  Mississippi. 

It  is  said  of  LaSalle,  the  discoverer  of  the  Mississippi,  that 
during  the  years  (1677-78)  he  was  in  command  at  Fort  Frontenac, 
"He  appears  to  have  been  evolving  great  schemes  for  opening  up 
an  easy  channel  of  trade  to  the  West  by  way  of  the  Maumee  and 
the  Wabash." 

Professor  Hulbert,  in  his  "Historic  Highways  of  America,"  says 
that  it  was  on  this  river,  near  the  present  site  of  Maumee  City,  that 
the  first  settlement  of  whites  in  the  limits  of  what  is  now  the  State 
of  Ohio  was  made  in  1679. 

During  the  year  1679,  Frontenac,  Governor  of  Canada,  sent  out 
a  number  of  trading  parties  with  authority  to  erect  stores  or  posts 
and  to  take  possession  of  the  country  visited  in  the  name  of  France. 
One  of  these  parties  found  its  way  to  the  Maumee  River  and,  in 
1680,  built  a  small  stockade  just  below  the  present  Maumee  City. 
This  was  an  important  trading  post  for  many  years,  but  was  finally 
abandoned  for  a  more  eligible  location  at  the  head  of  the  river, 
near  where  Fort  Wayne  now  stands.  On  the  very  spot  where  the 
first  French  fort  stood  the  British,  in  1794,  erected  Fort  Miami. 

About  1700  a  party  of  traders  built  a  small  fort  on  the  Maumee 
about  where  is  now  Toledo. 

In  1739  de  Longuevil  constructed  a  road  from  Detroit  to  the 
Ohio  River,  which  crossed  the  Maumee  at  the  foot  of  the  rapids, 
and  was  thereafter  used  by  the  Canadians. 

In  1748  the  post  on  the  Maumee  was  rebuilt  by  the  French. 


The  Black  Swamp.  37 


In  that  same  year  instructions  were  given  the  commander  at  Detroit, 
"Every  attempt  of  the  English  to  settle  at  River  a  la  Roche 
[Maumee]  must  be  resisted  by  force." 

Again,  in  1750,  complaint  is  made  that  "The  English,  far  from 
confining  themselves  within  the  limits  of  Britain's  possessions,  not 
satisfied  with  multiplying  themselves  more  and  more  on  Rock  River, 
and  with  having  houses  and  stores  there,  have,  more  than  that,  pro- 
ceeded within  sight  of  Detroit,  even  unto  the  Fort  of  the  Miamis." 

In  1754  Governor  Morris,  of  Pennsylvania,  calls  a  note  of 
alarm  because  of  the  French  making  a  settlement  of  three  hundred 
families  in  the  country  of  the  Twightwees  (Miamis). 

In  1760  Major  Rogers  was  sent  West  to  take  possession  of 
Detroit  and  other  French  forts  along  the  lake.  From  Detroit,  we 
are  told,  the  major  went  to  the  Maumee,  and  thence  across  the 
State  to  Fort  Pitt  (Pittsburgh). 

THE  CONSPIRACY  OF  PONTIAC. 

The  name  of  the  great  Indian  chief  Pontiac  will  always  be 
associated  with  the  Maumee  Valley.  This  was  his  home  and  his 
stronghold.  It  was  here  he  planned  his  treacherous  campaigns, 
and  here  he  came  when  defeat  weakened  him.  He  was  the  bitter 
enemy  of  the  English,  and  his  ability  and  craftiness  made  him 
their  most  formidable  foe. 

In  1760  the  war  that  had  been  waging  in  America  between 
the  French  and  the  English  came  to  an  end  through  the  defeat  of 
Montcalm,  on  the  Heights  of  Abraham,  at  Quebec. 

From  1535  to  1760 — 225  years — the  region  of  the  lakes,  dis- 
covered and  traversed  by  Jesuit  missionaries  and  French  fur 
traders,  was  under  the  dominion  of  the  King  of  France,  and  was 
designated  on  the  maps  as  New  France.  But  on  the  29th  of  No- 
vember, 1760,  the  French  flag  was  lowered  at  Detroit,  and  this 
part  of  Ohio  became  a  part  of  the  Province  of  Quebec. 

The  Indian  tribes  saw  the  English  taking  possession  of  the 
French  forts,  and  they  were  alarmed.  The  French  had  always 
treated  the  Red  Men  as  brothers,  had  made  them  liberal  presents, 
and  had  dealt  with  them  honestly.  The  English  had  been  cold 
and  harsh,  had  cheated  them  in  trade,  and  had  outraged  their 
families.  These  things  aroused  them  to  the  highest  pitch  of  excite- 


38  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

ment,  but  it  would  probably  have  passed  over  had  it  not  been  for 
Pontiac,  of  whom  Parkman  writes,  "The  American  forests  never 
produced  a  man  more  shrewd,  politic,  and  ambitious." 

Pontiac's  plan  was  to  make  a  contemporaneous  assault  upon 
all  the  British  posts  and  thus  extinguish  the  English  power  at  a 
single  blow.  By  favor  of  an  Indian  woman,  Detroit  alone  of  all 
the  chain  of  forts  was  saved,  but  by  the  treachery  of  another  Indian 
woman  the  fort  on  the  Maumee  was  captured. 

CAPTURE  OF  FORT  MIAMI. 

Fort  Miami  was  near  what  is  now  Fort  Wayne,  and  was  com- 
manded by  Ensign  Holmes,  who  was  suspicious  of  the  intentions 
of  the  Indians,  and  was  therefore  on  his  guard  when,  on  the  27th 
of  May,  1763,  a  young  Indian  girl  who  lived  with  him  came  to 
tell  him  that  a  squaw  lay  dangerously  ill  in  a  wigwam  near  the 
fort,  and  urged  him  to  come  to  her  relief. 

Holmes  forgot  his  caution  and  followed  her  out  of  the  fort. 
Pitched  at  the  head  of  a  meadow,  hidden  from  view  by  an  inter- 
vening spur  of  the  woodland,  stood  a  great  number  of  Indian  wig- 
wams. When  Holmes  came  in  sight  of  them,  his  treacherous  con- 
ductress pointed  out  that  in  which  the  sick  woman  lay.  He  walked 
on  without  suspicion,  but  as  he  drew  near,  two  guns  flashed  from 
behind  the  hut  and  stretched  him  lifeless  on  the  grass. 

The  shots  were  heard  at  the  fort  and  the  sergeant  rashly  went 
out  to  learn  the  reason  for  the  firing.  He  was  immediately  taken 
prisoner,  amid  exultant  yells  and  whoopings.  The  soldiers  in  the 
fort  climbed  upon  the  palisades  to  look  out,  when  Godefroy,  a 
Canadian,  and  two  other  white  men  made  their  appearance  and 
summoned  them  to  surrender,  promising  that  if  they  did  so  their 
lives  would  be  spared,  but  that  otherwise  they  would  be  killed 
without  mercy.  The  men,  being  in  great  terror  and  without  a 
leader,  soon  threw  open  the  gate  and  gave  themselves  up  as 
prisoners. 

END  OF  PONTIAC'S  WAR. 

The  end  of  Pontiac's  war  came  with  the  arrival  at  Detroit  of 
General  Bradstreet  with  reinforcements.  The  English  boats  en- 
tered the  mouth  of  the  Detroit  River  on  the  26th  of  August,  and 


The  Black  Swamp.  39 


Pontiac  retired  to  the  Maumee,  whence  he  sent  haughty  defiance 
to  the  English  commander.  But  famine  and  misery  brought  most 
of  the  followers  to  have  a  sincere  desire  for  peace,  and  they  readily 
obeyed  the  summons  of  Bradstreet  to  meet  him  in  council. 

A  deputation  was  sent  to  Pontiac,  and  that  chief  agreed  to 
lead  the  nations  no  more  to  war,  but  declared  that  he  would  never 
become  a  friend  of  the  English.  He  met  General  Bradstreet  at 
Maumee  Bay  with  offers  of  peace,  which  ended  the  bloody  war. 
This  war  has  been  described  as  "undoubtedly  the  most  compre- 
hensive military  campaign  ever  conceived  in  Red  Man's  brain." 

On  the  24th  of  August,  1765,  George  Croghan  made  a  treaty 
with  the  Miainis,  by  which  that  nation  was  to  remain  undisturbed 
in  its  hunting  grounds.  Not  long  after  this  the  tribes  abandoned 
their  towns  on  the  Great  Miami  and  removed  to  the  Maumee,  St. 
Joseph,  and  Wabash  Rivers. 

In  1766  mention  is  made  of  Pontiac  being  on  the  Maumee 
again,  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  where  he  is  said  to  have  spent 
the  winter  living  in  the  forest  with  his  wives  and  children  and 
hunting  like  an  ordinary  warrior.  In  1769  he  was  assassinated 
in  the  vicinity  of  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

DURING  THE  REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 

In  December,  1778,  Hamilton,  the  British  commander  in  De- 
troit, hearing  of  Clark's  capture  of  Vincennes,  determined  to  re- 
take it,  and,  heading  troops  and  Indians,  ascended  the  Maumee 
from  Lake  Erie.  They  recaptured  the  fort  at  Vincennes,  but  dur- 
ing the  next  year  Clark  retook  it  and  Hamilton  with  it. 

In  1780,  General  Washington  directed  that  the  Western  waters 
be  explored,  the  navigation  of  them  accurately  laid  down,  and  a 
complete  map  of  the  country  made,  at  least  "as  far  westerly  as 
the  Miamis,  running  into  the  Ohio,  and  into  Lake  Erie.  For  I 
can  not  forbear  observing  that  the  Miami  Village  (Fort  Wayne) 
points  to  a  very  important  post  for  the  Union." 

During  the  Revolution  this  part  of  Ohio  from  its  remote  situ- 
ation was  but  little  affected  by  the  war.  The  British  employed 
the  Indians  to  harass  the  American  settlements  on  the  Ohio  and 
in  Kentucky.  These  joint  expeditions  (British  soldiers  and  Indian 
warriors)  usually  organized  at  Detroit  and  proceeded  in  boats  as 


40  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

far  as  they  could  ascend  the  Maumee,  and  from  there  crossed  over 
to  the  Ohio.  The  prisoners  taken  were  all  massacred,  and  so  much 
per  scalp  paid  by  the  British.  We  hardly  need  to  be  told  "their 
march  through  the  whole  region  was  attended  with  the  utmost 
consternation." 

A  NEW  FORT  MIAMI. 

At  the  close  of  the  Revolution  the  British  refused  to  evacuate 
the  fort  at  Detroit,  and  in  1794  built  a  new  Fort  Miami  on  the 
Maumee,  near  the  present  site  of  Maumee  City. 

This  fort  is  described  as  situated  on  a  hill  which  rises  abruptly 
from  the  margin  of  the  river,  at  the  head  of  a  plain.  It  was  a 
quadrangle,  constructed  of  large,  square  logs  of  timber,  laid  closely 
together  and  notched  into  each  other.  At  the  two  most  exposed 
angles  were  strong  bastions,  enfilading  three  sides  of  the  fort. 
On  these  three  sides  the  fort  was  protected  by  a  deep  moat  or  ditch, 
in  which  was  standing  water.  And  on  the  side  fronting  the  river 
there  was  a  covered  way  down  the  steep  bank  to  the  water. 

THE  BATTLE  OF  FALLEN  TIMBERS. 

The  Maumee  next  appears  in  history  through  General  Anthony 
Wayne's  decisive  victory  over  the  Indians  at  the  battle  of  Fallen 
Timbers.  As  in  the  Revolution,  marauding  parties  continued  to 
descend  from  this  section  upon  settlers  in  Southern  Ohio  and 
Kentucky.  They  were  undoubtedly  encouraged  by  the  English, 
who  had  refused  to  abandon  either  Detroit  or  Fort  Miami  after 
the  Revolution. 

In  1790,  General  Harmar,  an  able  officer,  was  dispatched  to 
quell  these  Indians  with  a  force  of  about  1,400  men.  He  impru- 
dently divided  his  army,  was  taken  by  surprise  and  defeated  at 
what  is  now  Fort  Wayne,  by  a  body  of  Indians  led  by  Little  Turtle. 

General  St.  Clair  was  then  placed  in  command  of  about  2,300 
men,  and  started  towards  the  Maumee.  This  army  was  to  march 
from  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  erect  a  fort  on  the  site  of  Fort  Wayne, 
Indiana.  It  was  not  properly  supplied ;  it  was  totally  undisciplined, 
and  there  was  a  bitter  feeling  of  jealousy  among  the  officers.  De- 
sertions reduced  it  more  than  one-third.  It  was  ambushed  near 
Greenville,  Ohio,  and  forced  to  retreat.  "In  almost  every  sense 


The  Black  Swamp.  41 


it  was  the  greatest  defeat  suffered  by  white  men  on  this  continent 
at  the  hands  of  the  aborigines." 

A  new  army  was  then  formed,  the  Legion,  and  General  Wayne 
was  placed  in  command.  While  he  was  drilling  this  into  shape 
every  effort  was  being  made  at  Washington  to  secure  treaties  of 
peace  with  the  Indians  on  the  Maumee,  but  their  victories  over 
Harmar  and  St.  Clair  had  made  them  haughty,  conscious  of  their 
power,  and  determined  to  make  no  treaty  that  would  not  make 
the  Ohio  the  boundary  of  the  United  States  and  reserve  all  lands 
north  and  west  of  that  for  the  Indians. 

At  one  time  it  had  been  seriously  considered  to  make  the 
Maumee  the  boundary  line  of  the  Union.  In  1791  the  Secretary  of 
War  wrote  to  General  St.  Clair:  "In  order  to  avoid  further  wars 
it  might  be  proper  to  make  the  Wabash,  and  thence  over  to  the 
Maumee,  and  down  the  same  to  its  mouth  at  Lake  Erie,  the 
boundary  between  the  people  of  the  United  States  and  the  Indians." 

In  the  meantime  General  Wayne  was  making  every  preparation 
for  war  and,  with  his  men,  was  turning  his  face  northward.  When 
they  reached  the  place  where  St.  Clair  was  defeated,  a  fort  was 
erected,  named  Fort  Recovery,  and  garrisoned. 

On  July  28,  1794,  Wayne,  with  2,000  regulars  and  1,500 
mounted  volunteers,  set  out  from  Fort  Greenville  for  the  Maumee 
Valley.  The  Indians'  were  quick  to  recognize  and  describe  in  their 
figurative  way  the  two  chief  characteristics  of  Wayne  as  a  com- 
mander— they  called  him  the  "Black  Snake"  and  the  "Whirlwind"- 
he  was  as  cunning  as  he  was  impetuous. 

On  August  1st  the  army  pressed  on  over  the  backbone  of  Ohio 
and  down  the  northern  slope  into  the  basin  of  the  Maumee  River 
and  encamped  beside  the  Little  St.  Marys.  On  the  afternoon  of 
August  6th  the  army  reached  the  banks  of  the  Auglaize,  where 
Fort  Laramie  was  built. 

On  the  8th  of  August,  after  marching  through  five  miles  of 
cornfields,  where  were  "vegetables  of  every  kind  in  abundance," 
the  tired  Legion  came  in  view  of  the  Maumee,  "of  which  they  and 
the  whole  Nation  had  heard  so  much."  The  spot  where  they  en- 
camped was  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Defiance,  and  here,  in 
the  eight  days  succeeding,  Fort  Defiance  was  erected. 

On  the  16th,  it  being  reported  that  the  Indian  army  was  lying 
two  miles  above  the  British  fort  (Fort  Miami),  the  grand  advance 


42  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

began.  Nineteen  miles  were  made  that  day,  and  twelve  the  fol- 
lowing. On  the  18th  the  army  encamped  forty-one  miles  from 
Fort  Defiance,  and  made  a  strong  entrenchment,,  which  was  named 
Fort  Deposit.  Here  the  heavy  baggage  was  stored,  that  the  troops 
might  go  into  action  unencumbered. 

On  the  20th,  at  seven  in  the  morning,  the  Legion  advanced  in 
fighting  order.  The  Indian  army  was  stretched  across  the  valley 
for  two  miles,  in  a  well-chosen  position.  A  tornado  had  recently 
swept  the  forest,  and  a  mass  of  fallen  trees  offered  a  peculiarly 
advantageous  spot  for  the  Indians'  favorite  mode  of  fighting. 

Such  spots  were  very  common  in  the  old  Black  Forest  of  the 
West,  and  were  generally  known  as  "fallen  timber"  by  the  Indians 
and  pioneers.  In  them  cavalry  was  almost  useless.  Thus  the 
mounted  volunteers,  the  Indians  believed,  would  be  debarred  from 
the  fight. 

At  1 1  o'clock  the  advance  lines  met.  At  the  first  burst  of 
sudden  flame  from  the  concealed  foe,  the  American  vanguard  of 
volunteers  were  staggered ;  the  guards  on  the  right  fell  back  through 
the  regulars,  who  were  thrown  into  confusion.  It  was  fifteen 
minutes  before  order  was  restored,  but  when  joined  by  the  rifle- 
men and  legionary  cavalry,  a  charge  with  trailed  arms  was  ordered, 
and  the  savages  were  pricked  out  from  their  lairs  with  the  point 
of  the  bayonets.  A  heavy  firing  on  the  left  announced  that  the 
battle  now  was  raging  there,  but  this  was  only  for  a  moment. 

The  Indians  began  to  break  and  retreated  towards  the  walls 
of  Fort  Miami,  as  if  expecting  protection  from  their  English  friends. 
But  the  gates  of  the  fort  had  been  shut,  and  the  English  within 
seemed  to  watch  the  outside  proceedings  with  apparent  indiffer- 
ence. The  Indians  then  poured  down  the  valley  toward  the  present 
site  of  Toledo  and  Lake  Erie. 

In  the  action  the  American  force  was  about  3,000  men,  and 
the  Indians  were  in  point  of  number  about  the  same.  Most  of 
the  savages  were  naked  and  covered  with  war-paint.  They  were 
assisted  by  white  men  from  Detroit. 

General  Wayne  remained  three  days  on  the  battlefield,  de- 
stroying Indian  villages  and  cornfields  on  the  banks  of  the  Maumee, 
but  before  leaving  he  paraded  his  force  in  front  of  the  British 
fort  that  they  might  see  its  strength.  A  correspondence  of  no 
very  friendly  character  ensued  with  the  commander  of  the  fort, 


The  Black  Swamp.  43 


but  that  was  all,  and  General  Wayne  proceeded  to  Fort  Defiance. 
Then  he  ascended  the  Maumee  to  the  junction  of  the  St.  Mary's 
and  St.  Joseph— Ha rmar's  battleground— and  built  a  fort,  which  he 
permitted  his  oldest  officer  to  name  "Fort  Wayne,  in  honor  of  the 
hero  of  Stony  Point." 

The  battle  of  Fallen  Timbers  was  a  decisive  and  important 
victory.  The  Indians  never  forgot  the  "Black  Snake,"  and  their 
power  was  broken.  The  conquest  of  the  Maumee  Valley  awed  the 
savages,  and  in  the  following  year  the  cowed  and  shattered  nations 
signed  the  Treaty  of  Greenville,  and  "since  then  the  Indian  race 
has  never  been  a  National  menace." 

In  1805,  by  a  treaty  with  the  Indians  at  Fort  Industry,  at  the 
mouth  of  Swan  Creek,  in  the  heart  of  what  is  now  Toledo,  the 
United  States  acquired  all  that  part  of  the  Connecticut  "Western 
Reserve"  which  lies  west  of  the  Cuyahoga  River. 

HULL'S  EXPEDITION  TO  DETROIT,  1812. 

In  June,  1796,  the  British  surrendered  Detroit  to  American 
troops,  and  also  the  forts  on  the  Maumee.  When  war  with  England 
was  a  certainty,  in  1812,  it  was  deemed  wise  to  reinforce  the  gar- 
risons. General  Hull,  with  about  2,000  men,  was  ordered  there. 

They  organized  in  the  vicinity  of  Urbana,  Ohio,  and  their  route 
from  there  was  through  the  tangled  wilderness  to  the  "Grand 
Rapids  of  the  Miami,"  and  they  had  to  cut  their  way  for  about 
one  hundred  miles  through  a  dense,  unbroken  forest.  It  was  ex- 
pected that  Hull  should  reach  Detroit  before  war  was  actually 
declared,  but  from  want  of  energy  upon  his  part  the  declaration 
of  war  found  him  and  his  army  at  the  foot  of  the  rapids  of  the 
Maumee. 

Here  Hull  committed  a  fatal  mistake.  He  chartered  a  small 
schooner  then  lying  in  Maumee  Bay,  on  board  of  which  he  put  a 
large  portion  of  the  army  baggage  and  provisions,  together  with 
his  own  military  chart  and  all  his  papers,  instructions,  plans  of 
the  campaign,  etc.,  to  be  shipped  to  Detroit.  This  schooner,  while 
on  its  way  up  the  Detroit  River,  was  seized  by  the  British  naval 
force  lying  at  anchor  opposite  Fort  Maiden. 

The  loss  of  this  vessel  and  its  cargo  was  disastrous  to  the 
American  army,  while  the  possession  of  the  plans  of  the  campaign, 


44  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

the  baggage  and  military  stores  was  a  most  important  acquisition 
to  the  enemy. 

From  the  mouth  of  the  Maumee  to  Detroit  the  army  marched 
through  the  mud  and  water  of  the  wretched  pioneer  roads,  in  con- 
stant fear  of  attack  from  the  hostile  Indians  and  bombardment 
from  the  British.  A  few  weeks  later  Hull  surrendered  this  army 
and  the  fort  at  Detroit  to  the  English.  "On  an  instant  the  hopes 
that  had  sustained  the  men  on  the  long  marches  and  perilous  sallies 
faded  away,  and  the  pent-up  feelings  of  a  disappointed  army  gave 
way  to  impotent  wrath.  Officers  in  their  rage  snapped  their 
swords  in  two  across  their  knees,  and  strong  men  by  the  hundreds 
broke  down  and  cried  like  children." 

General  Hull  was  tried  for  both  treason  and  cowardice.  He 
was  convicted  on  the  second  charge  and  sentenced  to  be  shot.  But 
in  consideration  of  his  services  in  the  Revolution,  he  was  pardoned 
by  the  President. 

WINCHESTER'S  DEFEAT  AT  FRENCHTOWN. 

The  Maumee  Valley  was  closely  connected  with  General  Win- 
chester's defeat  and  the  subsequent  massacre  on  the  River  Raisin. 
The  surrender  of  General  Hull  and  his  army  had  placed  Northern 
Ohio  again  at  the  mere)'  of  the  British,  but  it  was  determined  to 
wrest  from  them  the  advantages  they  had  gained.  An  army  was 
organized  under  the  command  of  William  Henry  Harrison  and  sent 
to  the  head  of  Lake  Erie. 

Advancing  as  far  as  Upper  Sandusky,  he  detached  General 
Wilkinson  in  advance  to  the  mouth  of  the  Maumee.  On  January 
21,  1813,  Winchester  sent  forward  a  foraging  party  as  far  as 
Frenchtown  (Monroe),  on  the  River  Raisin,  and  joined  them  the 
next  day,  having  a  force  of  about  800  men.  He  was  attacked  by 
the  British,  1,000  strong,  and  Indians,  and  six  pieces  of  artillery, 
and  compelled  to  surrender. 

"The  bloody  scene  which  followed  that  disastrous  morning  has 
given  celebrity  to  the  spot  far  beyond  the  importance  of  the  event." 
The  massacre  that  followed  the  surrender  is  a  foul  blot  on  the 
military  fame  of  Great  Britain.  Most  of  the  wounded  were  col- 
lected in  one  or  two  houses  near  the  battleground.  These  the 
savages  set  on  fire,  and  as  their  victims  attempted  to  escape  from 


The  Black  Swamp.  45 


the  windows,  they  pushed  them  back  into  the  flames.  The  bodies 
of  those  slain  in  battle  were  left  where  they  fell,  to  feed  the  wolves 
of  the  neighboring  forests. 

The  story  of  this  brutal  massacre  excited  the  whole  country, 
and  we  read  that  "the  enthusiasm  for  the  campaign  was  very 
great  at  this  time,  and  volunteers  came  in  from  all  parts  of  the 
State." 

Of  this  movement  that  ended  so  disastrously,  General  Harrison, 
in  his  official  report,  said,  "The  detachment  to  the  River  Raisin 
was  made  without  my  knowledge  or  consent,  and  in  direct  opposition 
to  my  plans." 

SIEGE  OF  FORT  MEIGS. 

After  the  defeat  of  Winchester,  General  Harrison  hurried  for- 
ward his  army  and  established  himself  at  the  foot  of  the  rapids 
of  the  Maumee  (Perrysburg),  and  proceeded  to  build  a  fort,  which 
was  named  Meigs,  in  honor  of  the  governor  of  the  State. 

This  fort  was  nothing  more  than  a  line  of  pickets,  with  a  ditch 
and  high  embankment  of  earth  thrown  up  around  the  encampment, 
with  round  log  blockhouses  at  the  salient  angles.  This  afterwards 
became  a  very  important  post  and  contributed  mainly  to  the  defense 
of  an  extended  line  of  frontier  settlements.  Small  troops  of 
mounted  rangers  and  scouts  on  foot,  sent  out  from  the  fort,  scoured 
the  wilderness  and  kept  in  abeyance  the  bands  of  marauding  sav- 
ages. 

In  the  latter  part  of  April,  1813,  General  Proctor,  at  the  head 
of  a  strong  detachment  (over  1,200)  from  the  British  army,  with 
2,000  to  3,000  Indians,  under  the  great  Tecumseh,  laid  siege  to 
Fort  Meigs.  There  were  sorties  and  some  severe  fighting,  but  the 
British  official  report  gives  the  result:  "The  enemy  so  completely 
entrenched  and  covered  himself  as  to  render  unavailing  every  effort 
of  our  artillery."  So  the  British  boats  carried  the  army  back  to 
Maiden,  on  the  Detroit  River,  May  9,  1813. 

During  this  siege  another  massacre  from  the  disobedience  of 
orders  occurred.  At  midnight  on  May  4th,  Harrison  received  in- 
telligence that  General  Clay,  with  1,200  Kentuckians,  was  just 
above  the  rapids  and  could  reach  him  in  two  hours.  Harrison 
determined  on  a  grand  sally,  and  directed  Clay  to  land  800  men 


46  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

on  the  right  bank,  take  possession  of  the  British  batteries,  spike 
their  cannon,  immediately  return  to  their  boats,  and  cross  over  to 
Fort  Meigs.  The  remainder  of  Clay's  forces  were  to  land  on  the 
left  bank  and  fight  their  way  to  the  fort,  while  sorties  would  be 
made  from  the  garrison  to  aid  these  movements. 


General  Clay  gave  the  command  of  the  men  who  were  to 
operate  on  the  right  bank  to  Colonel  Dudley,  who  completely  suc- 
ceeded in  driving  the  British  from  their  batteries,  but  instead  of 
immediately  crossing  to  the  fort,  his  men  commenced  a  pursuit 
of  the  Indians,  were  ambuscaded  and  intercepted  when  they  at- 
tempted to  return  to  the  river.  They  were  compelled  to  surrender, 
and  the  Indians  began  the  work  of  massacre.  Of  800  men,  only 
150  escaped;  the  rest  were  slain  or  made  prisoners. 

Harrison,  watching  the  men  running  to  their  own  destruction, 


The  Black  Swamp.  47 


is  said  to  have  exclaimed  in  tones  of  anguish:  "They  are  lost! 
They  are  lost !  Can  I  never  get  men  to  obey  my  orders  ?" 

The  British  returned  again  in  July,  at  the  earnest  instance  of 
Tecumseh,  who  had  formed  a  plan  for  the  destruction  of  the  fort 
during  the  absence  of  General  Harrison. 

The  garrison  did  not  fall  into  the  trap  Tecumseh  had  set  for 
it.  The  English  account  says:  "Either  they  [the  Americans] 
had  obtained  information  of  the  plot,  or  they  suspected  the  nature 
and  object  of  the  ruse,  and  we  had  the  mortification  to  find  our- 
selves utterly  foiled  in  the  grand  design  of  the  expedition." 

The  British  then  passed  on  their  way  to  Fort  Stephenson,  situ- 
ated at  Lower  Sandusky,  now  Fremont,  which  was  under  the  com- 
mand of  Major  Croghan.  In  the  British  report  it  is  admitted 
that  the  force  in  the  garrison  was  greatly  inferior  in  numbers  to 
their  assailants.  Croghan  (pronounced  "Crawn"  at  that  date)  was 
then  in  his  twenty-first  year,  and  his  gallant  defense  of  the  fort 
was  highly  praised ;  he  was  immediately  made  a  lieutenant-colonel, 
and  the  ladies  of  Ohio  presented  to  him  a  handsome  sword. 

The  British  army  once  more  returned  to  Maiden. 

PERRY'S  VICTORY. 

On  the  10th  of  September,  in  that  same  year  (1813),  at  sunrise, 
while  at  anchor  in  Put-in-Bay,  Commodore  Perry  got  under  way 
with  his  fleet  to  meet  the  British  vessels,  that  had  been  in  control 
of  all  the  lakes  and  rivers,  from  the  St.  Lawrence  to  the  Maumee. 
This  great  battle,  with  its  consummate  victory,  gave  the  United 
States  the  mastery  of  the  water.  The  English  historian  of  the 
battle  says: 

"With  the  loss  of  our  fleet  vanished  every  hope  of  maintaining 
our  positions  against  the  enemy,  who,  already  assembled  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Forts  Sandusky  and  Meigs,  to  the  number  of 
10,000  men,  only  awaited  the  result  of  this  action  to  decide  on 
their  future  movements." 

General  Harrison  was  in  close  touch  with  Commodore  Perry, 
both  before  and  after  the  great  naval  battle.  Soon  after  the  vic- 
tory, General  Harrison  crossed  to  the  Canadian  shore,  and  in  the 
course  of  a  short  but  brilliant  campaign,  drove  the  British  from 
the  Northwestern  frontier. 


MONUMENT  AT  FORT  MEIGS,  PERRYSBURG,  OHIO. 


The  Black  Swamp.  49 


The  victory  of  Commodore  Perry  having  given  the  United  States 
the  command  of  the  lake%,  the  British  army  having  been  routed,  and 
the  Indian  confederacy  broken  up  by  the  death  of  Tecumseh,  noth- 
ing of  special  interest  occurred  during  the  remainder  of  the  war. 
Colonel  Cass  was  left  with  a  brigade  for  the  protection  of  the 
frontier,  which  he  effectually  accomplished  until  the  treaty  of  peace, 
concluded  at  Ghent,  December  24,  1814,  put  an  end  to  all  further 
hostilities. 

INDIAN  TREATY  AT  FORT  MEIGS. 

On  September  29,  1817,  one  of  the  most  important  Indian 
treaties  ever  negotiated  in  the  United  States  was  concluded  and 
signed  at  Fort  Meigs,  between  Generals  Cass  and  McArthur  and 
the  chiefs  of  the  Wyandot,  Seneca,  Delaware,  Shawnee,  Potta- 
watomie,  Ottawa,  and  Chippewa  tribes,  by  which  was  ceded  to 
the  United  States  nearly  all  the  land  which  they  claimed  in  Ohio, 
a  part  of  Indiana,  and  a  portion  of  Michigan  Territory — being 
nearly  four  million  acres  of  a  country  beautiful  and  valuable,  fertile, 
well  watered,  and  handsomely  situated. 

In  1818  the  first  steamer  built  on  the  lakes,  named  "Walk-in-the- 
Water,"  made  its  first  trip  from  Buffalo,  but  the  first  steamboat 
ever  launched  upon  Western  waters  was  on  the  Ohio  River  in  1811, 
sailing  from  Pittsburgh  to  New  Orleans. 

In  1820,  Captain  Riley  recommended  to  his  superiors  in  Wash- 
ington that  a  survey  of  the  lands  from  the  mouth  of  the  Maumee 
to  Fort  Wayne  be  made,  "which  would  superinduce  a  rapid  settle- 
ment and  give  spur  and  energy  to  agriculture,  commerce,  and 
manufactures." 


V. 

Organization  of  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

IN  the  year  1796,  by  an  act  of  the  General  Conference,  six  Con- 
ferences were  organized,  designed  to  embrace  the  entire  territory 
of  the  Church. 

One  of  these  was  the  Western  Conference,  comprising  an  all- 
extensive  area  and  for  some  years  the  only  Conference  in  the 
Mississippi  Valley. 

As  early  as  1803  the  Ohio  District  was  formed,  with  the  Rev. 
William  Burke  in  charge.  It  included  all  the  settlements  from 
the  Big  Miami  to  the  neighborhood  of  Steubenville,  which  was 
then  known  as  the  West  Wheeling  Circuit,  and  territory  down  the 
Ohio  River,  including  the  Little  Kanawha  and  Guyandotte  Circuits 
in  Virginia,  and  also  some  settlements  on  the  Licking  River  in 
Kentucky. 

The  first  Conference  session  in  Ohio  was  that  of  the  Western 
Conference,  held  at  Chillicothe  in  1807,  Bishop  Asbury  presiding; 
Ohio  District,  John  Sale,  presiding  elder. 

The  Ohio  Conference  was  organized  by  the  General  Conference 
of  1812,  out  of  the  Western  Conference,  and  including  the  Ohio, 
Muskingum,  Miami,  Kentucky,  and  Salt  River  Districts.  The  Con- 
ference held  its  first  session  in  Chillicothe,  Bishops  Asbury  and 
McKendree  presiding. 

In  1816  the  boundaries  remained  the  same,  excepting  that  a 
part  of  Scioto  District  was  substituted  for  Salt  River  District. 
In  1820  the  whole  of  Michigan  Territory  was  included  in  the  Ohio 
Conference,  together  with  a  part  of  Pennsylvania  and  Indiana. 

In  1824  the  Pittsburgh  Conference  was  formed,  including  the 
eastern  part  of  Ohio,  from  a  point  near  the  Cuyahoga  River 
southerly  to  the  Ohio.  The  Ohio  Conference  embraced  the  re- 
maining part  of  the  State  and  portions  of  the  Michigan  and 
Kanawha  Districts. 

Up  to  1832  the  boundaries  of  the  Ohio  Conference  were  the 

50 


Organization  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


same  except  that  Elizabeth,  the  Kanawha,  St.  Joseph,  and  Kala- 
mazoo  Missions  were  excluded. 

In  1836  the  Pittsburgh  Conference  was  divided,  the  northern 
part  forming  the  Erie  Conference,  whose  western  boundary  from 
the  southern  line  of  the  Western  Reserve  was  the  Ohio  Canal  to 
Lake  Erie,  including  Cleveland  West  Side. 

In  1836  the  Michigan  Conference  was  formed.  It  included 
the  Territory  of  Michigan,  except  Laporte,  and  so  much  of  the 
State  of  Ohio  as  lies  north  of  a  line  running  easterly  from  the 
north  line  of  Darke  County,  excluding  Elizabethtown  and  the  Leb- 
anon, Urbana,  Columbus,  and  Zanesville  Districts.  These  districts, 
with  any  south  of  the  Ohio  River  and  west  of  the  Muskingum 
River,  together  with  the  Kanawha  District,  formed  the  Ohio  Con- 
ference. 

In    1840  the   North   Ohio   Conference   was    formed,   embracing 
that  part  of  the  Michigan  Conference  extending  into  Ohio,  together 
with   some   additions   on   the 
south  from  the  Ohio  Confer- 
ence,    and     including     Ohio 
City,    Bishop    Redding    pre- 
siding. 

The  Central  Ohio  Confer- 
ence, at  first  and  until  the 
year  1860  called  the  Dela- 
ware Conference,  was  formed 
out  of  the  western  part  of 
the  North  Ohio  Conference, 
at  its  session  held  in  Lima, 
Ohio,  in  1856,  Bishop  Bev- 
erly Waugh  presiding,  and 
Bishop  E.  R.  Ames  present. 

The  change  of  name  from 
the  Delaware  to  the  Central 
Ohio  Conference  seems  to 
have  been  for  ecclesiastical 
rather  than  for  geographical  reasons. 

Formerly  until  the  spirit  of  democracy  began  to  be  exercised 
somewhat  in  Conference  proceedings,  the  Annual  Conference  dele- 
gations chose  their  seats  in  the  General  Conference  in  alphabetical 


BISHOP  BEVERLY  WAUGH, 

Presiding  Bishop,  First  Session  of  Central  Ohio 
Conference. 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


REV.  WILLIAM  L.  HARRIS, 

Secretary  of  Conference  at  First  Session. 
Afterwards  Made  Bishop. 


order,  and  the  nearer  they  chanced  to  be  at  the  head  of  the  alphabet, 
the  better  their  position  in  that  body. 

William  L.  Harris,  professor  in  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University 

at  the  time  the  Conference  was  or- 
•  ganized,  was  elected  Secretary  of  the 
Conference,  and  was  continued  in  the 
office  until  1860,  when  he  was  chosen 
Missionary  Secretary. 

The  charter  members  at  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Conference  were 
the  following:  Simon  H.  Alderman, 
Samuel  M.  Allen,  Joseph  Ayers,  Wil- 
liam A.  Baker,  Horatio  S.  Bradley, 
John  Brice,  Wesley  Brock,  Jacob  F. 
Burkholder,  Henry  M.  Close,  George 
W.  Collier,  James  S.  DeLeal,  Darius 
Dodge,  Jacob  Fegtley,  John  K. 
Ford,  James  W.  Fribley,  William 
Gardner,  Elnathan  C.  Gavitt,  John 
Graham,  David  Gray,  Samuel  B. 
Guiberson,  Leonard  B.  Gurley,  William  L.  Harris,  Benjamin  Her- 
bert, Moses  B.  Hebbard,  Thomas  F.  Hildreth,  Leonard  Hill,  Am- 
brose Hollington,  Jacob  M.  Holmes, 
James  A.  Kellam,  Oliver  Kennedy, 
William  Knapp,  Gershom  Lease,  Na- 
thaniel B.  C.  Love,  William  S.  Hunt, 
Samuel  Lynch,  Harrison  Maltbie, 
Franklin  Marriott,  Thomas  J.  Mon- 
nett,  George  Moore,  Edmund  B.  Mor- 
rison, James  M.  Morrow,  Samuel 
Mower,  Henry  L.  Nickerson,  Alex- 
ander Nelson,  Reuben  D.  Oldfield, 
Thomas  Parker,  Henry  E.  Pilcher, 
Lewis  M.  Pounds,  Uri  Richards, 
Lorenzo  D.  Rogers,  Hiram  M.  Shaf- 
fer, Stephen  D.  Shaffer,  John  A. 
Shannon,  Samuel  P.  Shaw,  Henry  O. 
Sheldon,  Nathan  Taylor,  William  H.  Taylor,  William  Thatcher, 
John  M.  Thompson,  Phillip  Wareham,  Henry  Warner,  Lorenzo 


REV.  JOHN  K.  FORD. 


Organization  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


53 


Warner,  Wesley  J.  Wells,  Jacob  Wilcox,  Edward  Williams,  Amos 

Wilson,  William  W.  Winter,  and  Joseph  Wykes. 

Those  ordained  deacons  and  ap- 
pearing in  the  list  of  appointments 
were:  Douglas  D.  S.  Reagh,  Martin 
Perkey,  Loring  C.  Webster,  Charles 
G.  Ferris,  Charles  W.  Ketcham, 
Abraham  B.  Poe,  Aaron  J.  Lyon, 
Isaac  H.  Beardsley,  Samuel  L.  Rob- 
erts, Richard  Lawrence,  Samuel 
Boggs,  and  Joseph  Goode. 

Those   in  the  class   of  the   sec- 
ond   year   on   trial   were:   John    T. 
Bower,  Ebenezer  Lindsey,  Joshua  M. 
Longfellow,  Enoch  G.  Longsworth, 
REV.  GERSHOM  LEASE,  D.  D.       George    O.    McPherson,    Nathan    S. 

Morris,     William     J.     Peck, 

Francis  Plum,  and  Joseph  O. 

Shannon;    and    those    in    the 

class  of  the  first  year  on  trial 

were:    David    Bulle,    Derrick 

P.  Darling,  Andrew  J.  Fris- 

bie,  Joseph  Good,  William  S. 

Lewis,    George    W.    Money, 

Isaac   Newton,   Benjamin   B. 

Powell,     John     N.     Priddy, 

Barton  A.  Webster,  and  Wil- 
liam G.  Williams. 

But    four    brethren    who 

were  charter  members  of  the 

Conference    are    now    living: 

N.    B.    C.    Love,    Loring   C. 

Webster,  Andrew  J.  Frisbie, 

and   Joshua   M.    Longfellow, 

all  now  past  eighty  years  of 

age,  and  after  long  years  of 

arduous  toil  and  noble  serv- 
ice in  the  Master's  Kingdom,  are  greatly  honored  and  revered  by 

their  associates  and  the  Church. 


REV.  L.  D.  ROGERS. 


54  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

Dr.  N.  B.  C.  Love  still  wields  an  informing  and  facile  pen 
as  correspondent  of  the  Western  Christian  Advocate,  and  as  his- 
torian of  important  incidents  and  facts,  ecclesiastical  and  archaeo- 
logical, in  the  history  of  Northwestern  Ohio. 

Dr.  L.  C.  Webster,  living  in  quiet  and  peaceful  retirement  in 
Marion,  Ohio,  is  still  delving,  as  has  been  his  interest  and  delight 
through  most  of  his  life,  in  a  study  of  the  philosophers,  and  in  the 
victorious  contemplation  of  having  jarred  Dr.  McCabe's  theory  of 
"The  Divine  Nescience"  by  his  remarkable  book,  "The  End  from 
the  Beginning." 

Rev.  Joshua  M.  Longfellow,  lonely  and  alone  so  far  as  any 
immediate  relatives  are  concerned,  is  spending  the  evening  of  his 
life  in  Belief ontaine,  Ohio,  where  for  many  years  he  has  resided, 
enjoying  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  the  community  and  the 
Church. 

In  his  earlier  ministry,  and  indeed  until  quite  well  advanced 
in  years,  he  had  great  revivals  and  brought  many  hundreds  into 
the  Church. 

The  revivals  he  conducted  were  as  a  rule  scenes  of  deep  con- 
viction for  sin  and  of  the  demonstration  of  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  Being  of  compact  and  solid  build,  vigorous  in  health,  pos- 
sessing a  voice  of  unusual  compass  and  force,  and  vital  with  the 
grace  of  God,  he  was  able  to  achieve  great  usefulness  in  the  Mas- 
ter's Kingdom;  and  now,  as  he  awaits  the  sunset  of  life,  his  chief 
joy  is  found  in  the  rich  memories  and  reminiscences  of  an  active 
and  triumphant  ministry.1 

Andrew  J.  Frisbie,  another  of  the  charter  members  still  living, 
resides  in  St.  Johns,  Auglaize  County,  Ohio,  where,  in  the  quiet 
and  rest  of  a  contented  life,  he  finds  pleasure  in  the  Book  so  long 
his  guide  and  enhancing  joy  in  fellowship  with  Him  who  lights 
up  the  way. 

It  has  been  many  years  since  he  was  privileged  to  enjoy  the 
kindly  salutations  of  his  brethren  in  the  Conference',  and  for  him 
to  look  into  faces  long  familiar  and  to  plasp  hands  with  brothers 
beloved  in  the  service  and  ministry  of  God. 

With  all  of  these  surviving  brethren  the  sounds  of  the  day 
they  have  been  given  to  spend  on  the  earth  in  the  building  of  the 
Church  and  the  spread  of  the  Kingdom  are  already  under  the  hush 


'Bev.  Joshua  M.  Longfellow  died  in  peace  February  21,  1914. 


Organization  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


55 


REV.  WILLIAM  G.  WILLIAMS,  D.  D., 

Secretary. 


of  life's  evening,  while  through  the  gathering  shadows,  if  there  be 
any,  there  stream  and  fall  about  them  the  rays  of  that  other  day 
and  life,  eternal  as  God. 

Jacob  F.  Burkholder,  Leon- 
ard B.  Gurley,  Thomas  F.  Hil- 
dreth,  James  M.  Kellam,  William 
Knapp,  Aaron  J.  Lyon,  Thomas 
J.  Monnett,  and  Samuel  Mower, 
after  spending  varying  periods  in 
the  Conference,  were  transferred 
to  the  North  Ohio  Conference, 
where,  by  an  active  and  conse- 
crated service  for  many  years, 
they  added  greatly  to  the  splen- 
did history  of  the  Conference  to 
which  they  returned  and  by  which 
they  were  welcomed. 

The  Central  Ohio  Conference 
is  bounded  practically  by  the  same  lines  to-day  which  denned  its 
territory  at  the  time  of  its  organization,  except  that  the  South 
Delaware  Charge,  now  St.  Paul's,  in  the  Ohio  Conference;  Port 

Clinton  and  Lakeside,  and  Asbury, 
Delaware,  by  action  of  the  General 
Conferences  of  1860,  1892,  and 
189G,  respectively,  have  been  trans- 
ferred to  the  North  Ohio  Confer- 
ence. 

Other  than  the  instances  of  Port 
Clinton  and  Lakeside,  and  Asbury, 
Delaware,  there  has  been,  so  far  as 
known,  no  further  effort  on  the  part 
of  the  mother  to  despoil  the  daugh- 
ter. 

The  Conference,  as  now  con- 
structed, is  bounded  on  the  north  by 
the  north  line  of  the  State  of  Ohio; 
on  the  east  by  the  North  Ohio  Con- 
ference, excluding  Asbury  Church  in  Delaware ;  on  the  south  by 
the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Columbus,  and  Indianapolis  Railroad  to 


REV.  CHARLES  W.  TANEYHILL, 

Secretary. 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


the  west  line  of  the  Ohio  Conference,  yet  so  as  to  include  Marys- 
ville ;  thence  to  the  west  line  of  the  State  of  Ohio,  by  the  north 
line  of  the  Cincinnati  Conference;  and  on  the  west  by  the  west 
line  of  the  State  of  Ohio,  including  Emmanuel  Church,  Williams 
County,  Ohio. 

The  territory  of  the  Conference  comprises,  either  in  whole  or 
in  part,  some  nineteen  counties,  within  which  is  to  be  found  some 
of  the  richest  and  most  fertile  soil  with  which  nature  has  ever 
blessed  the  country.  The  counties  wholly  included  are:  Allen, 

Auglaize,  Defiance,  Fulton, 
Hancock,  Logan,  Lucas,  Mer- 
cer, Paulding,  Putnam,  Shelby, 
Van  Wert,  Hardin,  Henry, 
Williams,  and  Wyandot;  and 
Champaign,  Darke,  and  Miami 
in  part. 

In  1856  the  Conference 
was  divided  into  five  districts, 
as  follows :  Delaware,  Henry 
E.  Pilcher,  Presiding  Elder; 
Sidney,  Simeon  H.  Alderman, 
Presiding  Elder;  Lima,  El- 
nathan  C.  Gavitt,  Presiding 
Elder;  Findlay,  Wesley  J. 
Wells,  Presiding  Elder;  To- 
ledo, David  Gray,  Presiding 
Elder. 

There  were  98  preachers; 
67  pastoral  charges;  12,643 
members;  1,440  probationers; 
probable  value  of  church  property,  $170,410;  the  total  allowance 
for  ministerial  support,  $26,000;  the  amount  contributed  to  mis- 
sions, $3,450;  the  amount  to  the  fifth  collection,  $330 — not  an  in- 
considerable sum  when  the  times  then  and  now  are  considered. 

The  highest  salary  paid,  1856-57,  was  $600,  to  the  Rev.  Joseph 
Avers,  by  the  First  Church  (St.  Paul's)  of  Toledo,  Ohio. 

The  presiding  elders  received  about  $400  each.  The  allow- 
ance to  preachers  fifty-five  years  ago  was  made  under  two  heads, 
so  much  as  quarterage  and  so  much  for  table  expenses.  Then  the 


REV.  DANIEL  CARTER,  D.  D., 

Secretary. 


Organization  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference.  57 

stewards  fixed  the  preacher's  table  expenses;  now  the  trusts  do  it. 
The  preacher's  appetite  is  no  more  voracious  now  than  when  the 
Conference  was  organized,  but  it  takes  more  money  to  satisfy  it. 

The  districts  embraced,  on  an  average,,  twelve  charges  each, 
and  what  a  happy  jaunt  it  would  have  been  then  for  the  presiding 
elder  to  travel  his  district  if  he  had  had  the  good  roads  of  to-day 
and  a  "Jehu"  automobile  to  ride  in! 

During  the  fifty-seven  years  since  the  Conference  was  formed 
the  number  of  pastoral  charges  has  increased  to  180;  the  number 
of  preachers  to  263 ;  the  number  of  members  to  nearly  64,000 ; 
probationers  to  1,640;  probable  value  of  church  property,  $2,714,- 
800;  the  total  allowance  for  ministerial  support  to  $187,548; 
given  to  missions,  $43,000;  for  Conference  claimants,  $9,640. 
When  the  Conference  was  organized  there  were  no  women's  mis- 
sionary societies ;  now  the  Woman's  Home  and  the  Woman's  For- 
eign Missionary  Societies  gave  last  year  $20,000.  The  largest 
salary  now  paid  in  the  Conference  is  $3,000,  by  St.  Paul's,  Toledo ; 
then  comes  Trinity,  Lima,  $2,700;  Marion,  $2,200;  William  Street, 
Delaware,  $2,000;  Epworth,  Toledo,  $2,100;  First  Church,  Findlay, 
$2,000;  Sidney,  $2,000;  Van  Wert,  $2,200;  Bowling  Green,  $2,000; 
Bellefontaine,  $2,000 ;  Broadway,  Toledo,  $2,000 ;  Fostoria,  $2,000, 
and  on  down. 

And  then,  to  show  that,  even  in  these  days  of  soaring  prices 
that  make  many  people  sore,  we  have  not  wholly  departed  from 
ancient  traditions,  there  are  "salaries"  as  low  in  a  number  of 
charges  as  $600,  and  one  as  low  as  $429 — quite  an  allowance,  too, 
for  the  charge  that  paid  it;  but,  if  another  dollar  had  been  added 
to  it  to  make  it  an  even  figure,  it  would  have  been  saved  from 
association  with  store  goods  marked  forty-nine  cents,  but  marked 
for  another  reason. 

The  Conference  now  (1913)  is  divided  into  six  districts:  the 
Bellefontaine — David  H.  Bailey,  District  Superintendent;  salary, 
$2,487;  stations,  9;  circuits,  26.  Defiance — Jonas  F.  Harshbarger, 
District  Superintendent;  salary,  $2,482;  stations,  12;  circuits,  18. 
Delaware — Benjamin  F.  Reading,  District  Superintendent;  salary, 
$2,752;  stations,  9;  circuits,  20.  Findlay — James  H.  Fitzwater, 
District  Superintendent;  salary,  $2,572;  stations,  13;  circuits,  15. 
Lima — Melvin  M.  Figley,  District  Superintendent;  salary,  $2,800; 
stations,  10;  circuits,  20.  Toledo — F,lwood  O.  Crist,  District  Su- 


LAST  CABINET  OF  THE  CENTRAL  OHIO  CONFERENCE 


REV.  D.  H.  BAILEY,  D.  D. 

Bellefontaine  District. 


REV.  J.  F.  HARSHBARGER,  D.  D. 
Defiance  District. 


REV.  J.  H.  FITZWATER,  D.  D. 

Findlay  District. 


REV.  M.  M.  FIGLEY,  D.  D. 

Lima   District. 


REV.  B.  F.  READING,  D.  D. 

Delaware  District 


REV.  E.  O.  CRIST,  D.  D. 

Toledo  District. 


Organization  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference.          59 

perintendent ;  salary,  $3,033;  stations,  27;  circuits,  10.  Combined 
salaries  to-day,  $15,760,  and  pastoral  charges,  189,  with  82  stations 
and  107  circuits. 

The  number  of  members  in  what  is  called  the  rural  Churches 
is  29,825;  and  in  the  urban,  34,646.  It  will  be  seen  from  these 
various  figures  that  the  "Rural  Church"  is  not  as  near  its  demise 
as  is  sometimes  prophesied. 

The  largest  membership  of  any  one  Church  is  1,489.  with  a 
salary  of  $2,200 — about  one  dollar  and  a  half  per  member:  while 
one  Church,  with  a  membership  of  sixty-five,  pays  over  six  dollars 
per  member.  The  largest  average  amount  per  member  for  minis- 
terial support  is  paid  not  in  the  cities  and  larger  towns,  but  in  the 
country,  by  circuits ;  and  the  same  ratio  of  giving  between  the 
Churches  with  the  largest  numbers  of  members  and  those  having 
medium  membership  and  paying  medium  salaries  obtains  in  the 
amounts  given  to  benevolent  objects. 

When  these  facts  and  others  similar  in  import  are  considered, 
it  does  not  seem  to  be  in  strictest  accord  with  the  actual  conditions 
to  be  saying  all  that  is  sometimes  heard  about  the  rapid  decadence 
of  the  "Rural  Church." 

The  best  solution  of  the  "Country  Church,"  as  it  is  often  termed, 
is  to  man  it  with  good,  practical  preachers  who  are  not  in  too  great 
a  hurry  to  occupy  a  metropolitan  pulpit,  and  who  know  how  to 
conduct  revivals,  and  in  this  way  and  by  all  other  sensible  things 
a  wise  man  will  do,  keep  the  ranks  in  the  country  filled  up  and 
have  some  converts  left  over  to  supply  the  city  congregations. 
And  it  must  not  be  assumed  that  the  rural  communities,  except 
where  the  Roman  Catholics  have  possessed  the  land,  and  the  trend 
in  this  direction  is  strong  enough  to  awaken  concern  among  Prot- 
estants in  the  country,  are  so  far  depopulated  of  non-Catholic 
people  as  to  warrant  the  abandonment  of  the  Methodist  church 
in  outlying  territory. 

There  are  still  many  families  and  individuals  in  rural  sections, 
of  Protestant  antecedents  and  affiliations,  who  might  be  gathered 
into  the  Methodist  fold  if  the  country  communities  were  as  patiently 
and  carefully  looked  after  as  the  inhabitants  of  large  towns  and 
cities. 

And  it  should  be  remembered  that  the  Methodist  Church  is  not 
the  only  Protestant  denomination  in  the  country,  so  that  the  neglect 


6o 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


of  the  "Rural  Church,"  as  is  sometimes  assumed  and  even  charged, 
is  not  always  strictly  true. 

Subtract  the  membership  of  the  urban  Churches — and  this  will 
include  the  larger  towns — from  64,000  members,  and  the  showing 
for  the  "Rural  Church"  will  not  present  such  a  pessimistic  aspect 
as  seems  apparent  on  first  thought. 

LAST  REPORTS,  1912. 


REV.  SAMUEL  GIVEN, 

Statistical  Secretary. 


REV.  JOHN  PARLETTE, 

Conference  Treasurer  for 
Twenty-seven  Years. 


STATISTICAL  SECRETARY'S  REPORT. 


This  Year. 

Increase. 

Decrease. 

Number  of  Probationers   

1,640 

77 

Number   of   Full   Members  

63,763 

5,306 

Number  of  Local  Preachers  

91 

5 

Number  of  Children  Baptized  

1,465 

184 

Number  of  Adults  Baptized  

3,375 

37 

Number  of  Sunday  Schools  

406 

2 

Number  of  Officers  aiid  Teachers  .... 

7,147 

106 

Number  of  Scholars  in  Schools  

60,169 

2,166 

Average  Attendance    

38,313 

120 

Number  in  Home  Department  

2,697 

48 

Number  in  Cradle  Roll  

5,590 

82 

Number  of  Officers  and  Teachers 
Church  Members    

6,844 

256 

Number  of  Epworth  League  Senior 
Chapters    

131 

7 

Number  of  Members  in  Senior  Chap- 
ters    

8,876 

40 

Number  of  Junior  Chanters  .  . 

46 

4 

Organization  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


61 


STATISTICAL  SECRETARY'S  REPORT — Continued. 


This  Year. 

Increase. 

Decrease. 

Number  in  Junior  Chapters  

2,151 

31 

Number  of  Churches  

402 

Probable   Value    

$2,714,800 

$93  850 

Number  of  Parsonages    

153 

3 

Probable  Value     

$361,350 

$8,865 

Paid  on  Building  and  Improvements 

$112,947 

$77,071 

Paid  on  Old  Indebtedness  

$34,552 

$9,228 

Present  Indebtedness    

$150  202 

$2282 

Support  of  Pastors  — 
(a)   Salary     

$171,788 

$8,678 

(b)  House   Rent    

$26,639 

$391 

Total    

$198,427 

$9,069 

Receipts  on  Claims.  Incl.  House  Rent 

$197,272 

$8,896 

Deficiencies    

$1,467 

$170 

Support  of  Conference  Claimants  .... 

$9,650 

$464 

Support  of  District  Superintendents. 

$15,760 

$548 

Support  of  Bishops   

$1,843 

$47 

Total   Support   

$220,498 

$6,028 

Missions,  Foreign  — 
(a)   Churches    

$16,383 

$1,149 

(b)   Sunday  Schools   

$5,034 

$320 

(c)    Special    

$3,306 

$1,021 

Total  for  Foreign  Missions.  . 

$24,723 

$1,850 

Missions,  Home  — 
(a)  Churches    

$12,854 

$511 

(b)   Sunday  Schools    

$4,742 

$282 

(c)    Special    

$378 

$64 

Total  for  Home  Missions.  .  . 

$17,974 

$293 

Total  for  Home  and  Foreign 

$42,697 

$2,140 

Board  of  Education  — 
(a)  Churches    

$536 

$12 

(  b  )   Sunday  Schools    

$92 

$49 

(c)    Children's   Fund    

$1,229 

$120 

Board  of  Sunday  Schools  — 
(a)   Churches    

$587 

$89 

(b)   Sunday  Schools   

$549 

$54 

Board  of  Conference  Claimants  — 
(a)  Connectional  Fund   

$204 

$7 

(b)  Permanent  Fund   

$98 

$73 

Freedmen's  Aid  Society  

$1,741 

$166 

American  Bible  Society  

$409 

$26 

Woman's  Foreign  ....         

$11,053 

$2,216 

Woman's  Home  — 
(  a  )  Cash    .  .         

$8,453 

$606 

(b)   Supplies 

$1,538 

$445 

Total  Disciplinary  Collections 

$68  401 

$745 

Local  Education   

$10,658 

$3,807 

Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital 

$3,330 

$80 

Temperance                                

S.",..VM 

$841 

Other  Benevolences   

$6,572 

$2,091 

General  Conference  Expenses 

$434 

$853 

$200 

$4 

Grand  Total    

$93,017 

$1,752 

62  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

TREASURER'S  REPORT. 

AGGREGATE  OF  BENEVOLENCES  FOR  CENTRAL  OHIO  CONFERENCE  FOR  THE 
YEAR  ENDING  SEPTEMBER  25,  1912. 

Total  for  Foreign  Missions  $24,407  00 

"  Home  Missions  and  Church  Extension 17,712  00 

"  General  Educational  Society  561  00 

"  Children's  Day  1,214  00 

"  Sunday  School  Board  1,089  00 

Connectional  Fund  282  00 

"  "  Permanent  Fund  27  00 

"  Freedmen's  Aid  Society  1,819  00 

"  American  Bible  Society  542  00 

"  Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society 11,428  00 

"  "  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society 9,475  00 

"  Local  Educational  Society  7,542  00 

"       "     General  Conference  Expenses    542  00 

"  "  Central  Ohio  Epworth  League  Expenses 205  00 

"  Episcopal  Fund  1,816  00 

"  Other  Benevolent  Causes  15,172  00 

"  "  Temperance  Cause  1,006  00 

"  Conference  Claimants  9,505  00 

"       "     Incidental  Expenses,   etc 487  00 

"       "     Balance  from  Last  Year   137  00 


Grand  Total  for  this  year  ............................  $104,968  00 

Grand  Total  last  year  ...............................    111,221  00 


Decrease    ..............  .  ........................      $6,253  00 


DISBURSED  AS  FOLLOWS  : 

Paid  Homer  Eaton,  Treasurer  Foreign  Missions  ............  $19,303  00 

Samuel  Shaw,  Treas.  Home  Missions  and  Church  Ex..  75,739  00 

General  Educational  Board  ..........................  543  00 

Children's  Day  Fund    ...............................  947  00 

Board  of  Sunday  Schools  ............................  848  00 

Connectional    Fund    .................................  281  00 

Permanent    Fund    ...................................  27  00 

Freedmen's  Aid  Society   ........  .  ....................  1,48.4  00 

American  Bible  Society    .............................  395  00 

Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society  .................  12  00 

Local   Educational   Society    ..........................  127  00 

Temperance  Society  ............  .  ....................  67  00 

Conference  Claimants   ...............................  9,505  00 

General  Conference  Expenses    .......................  262  00 

Central  Office  Expenses  Epworth  League  ..............  57  00 

Episcopal  Fund—  E.  R.   Graham  ......................  1,816  00 

Printing,   Incidentals,   and   Service,   etc  ................  487  00 

Other  Benevolent  Causes  ............................  46  00 

Amount  of  Vouchers  returned  by  Pastors  ..................  53,022  00 


Grand    Total    ........  ;  ..............................  $104,968  00 

JOHN  PAKLETTE,  Treasurer  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


VI. 

Personal  Mention. 

To  MENTION  with  words  of  commendation  and  estimate  all  the  men 
who  have  been  and  those  who  are  to-day  members  of  the  Central 
Ohio  Conference  would  not  only  be  impracticable,  but  in  the  case 
of  those  still  living,  possibly  unwise.  But  there  are  some  names 
appearing  on  the  original  roll  of  the  Conference  and  others  who 
entered  the  Conference  later,  and  have  passed  to  their  reward,  who 
are  deserving  of  more  than  a  passing  word. 

William  L.  Harris,  the  first  secretary  of  the  Conference,  was 
highly  influential  and  conspicuous  in  the  counsels  and  services  of 
Methodism  not  only  in  Ohio,  but  throughout  the  connection. 

He  was  a  model  secretary,  courteous,  prompt,  and  accurate; 
and  in  recognition  of  his  superior  abilities  in  secretarial  work,  he 
was  repeatedly  chosen  secretary  of  the  General  Conference. 

He  was  large  and  rotund  of  body,  carrying  a  stature  which 
made  his  physique  symmetrical  and  commanding.  He  possessed  a 
strong  and  well-trained  voice,  and  had  a  pleasing  and  natural 
address. 

His  ability  as  a  presiding  officer  and  parliamentarian  marked 
him  as  one  among  many  who  could  wield  the  gavel  successfully 
without  pounding  the  desk,  and  command  to  silence  and  order  a 
tumultuous  Conference  without  growing  dark  in  the  face  or  show- 
ing anger  on  the  brow. 

As  a  preacher  he  was  always  instructive  and  Scriptural,  his 
public  discourses  abounding  in  quotations  from  the  sacred  Word, 
so  interwoven  with  argument  and  the  exposition  of  the  text  as  to 
produce  the  impression  of  the  divinity  of  his  message.  He  was 
possessed  of  a  rich  and  varied  fund  of  anecdote  and  humor,  with 
which,  in  the  cabinet  and  elsewhere,  he  could  sweeten  a  sour  face 
and  enliven  a  tedious  hour. 

His  career  as  professor  in  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University,  as 
secretary  of  the  Missionary  Society,  and  as  bishop  has  added 
luster  to  his  memory  and  dignity  to  the  offices  he  so  faithfully  filled. 

63 


64  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference  from  the 
time  of  its  organization  until  his  election  to  the  secretaryship  of 
the  Missionary  Society  in  1860. 

His  death  occurred  in  May,  1887,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years. 
He  was  buried  in  Delaware,  Ohio,  where  for  a  number  of  years 
he  had  lived,  and  where  he  had  been  an  honored  teacher  in  the 
Ohio  Wesleyan  University. 

Thomas  Parker  is  a  name  precious  and  fragrant  in  the  memory 
of  the  Conference  and  with  the  Churches  he  served.  He  was 
slight  of  build,  medium  in  stature,  quick  and  springy  in  step,  and 
had  an  eye  steady  in  its  look  and  penetrating  in  its  quality.  His 
soul  was  always  on  fire  with  the  passion  of  work,  ever  animate 
with  convictions  of  the  right,  wielding  in  sermon  a  Damascus  blade, 
but  never  with  a  slash;  direct  and  positive  in  utterance,  with  an 
aim,  arrow  like,  at  some  truth  he  wished  to  enforce  or  some  false 
view  in  belief  or  ethics  he  sought  to  overthrow. 

His  endowments,  abundant  and  varied,  which  he  faithful!}7 
cultivated,  and  his  insight  into  men  and  the  Word,  which  he  loved 
to  proclaim,  kept  clear  and  sharp  by  constant  and  conscientious 
whetting,  made  him  an  eloquent  and  forceful  preacher  and  a  vic- 
torious foe  of  the  sins  of  men  and  the  insanities  of  society  and 
business. 

To  hear  him  preach,  to  see  him  in  action,  to  observe  his  fired 
spirit  in  its  bursts  of  flaming  and  holy  passion  against  the  shams 
of  profession  and  the  worldliness  of  the  Church,  produced  in  the 
minds  and  feelings  of  his  hearers  such  purposes  and  resolutions 
as  men  form  when  marshaled  under  some  valiant  leader  against 
a  strong  and  powerful  enemy.  The  conviction  wrought  in  the  mind 
was  to  refrain  from  evil  and  to  march  in  the  ranks  of  the  good 
and  courageous. 

He  was  scarcely  more  than  thirty-six  years  of  age  when  he 
died,  but  the  brief  time  he  lived  had  more  in  it  of  convictions  pro- 
duced, of  moral  courage  inspired,  of  great  forces  for  righteousness 
generated  than  scores  of  years  produce  with  many  others.  He 
worked  so  hard  and  burned  so  fast  the  fuel  of  brain  and  nerve 
and  holy  passion,  that,  as  the  light  goes  out  when  the  switch  is 
turned,  so  he  expired  and  was  gone. 

Few  men  whom  we  have  known  are  so  keenly  remembered,  or 
so  difficult  to  forget,  if  one  would,  as  Thomas  Parker. 


Personal  Mention.  65 


Among  the  earlier  members  of  the  Conference  there  were  some 
quaint  and  humorous  figures.  They  were  men  who  could  by  some 
anecdote  related,  or  some  witticism  perpetrated,  chase  away  the 
blues  and  dispel  the  despondency  with  which  some  persons  are 
afflicted,  and  set  an  audience  in  an  uproar  of  laughter  at  the  expense 
of  some  unwary  intruder. 

Elnathan  C.  Gavitt  was  an  illustration  of  this  reflection.  He 
was  of  slight  but  not  of  subnormal  size;  one  of  the  pioneer  preach- 
ers of  Methodism  in  Michigan,  Illinois,  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  Chicago 
when  it  was  a  small  town. 

Gavitt,  one  of  a  family  of  twelve  children,  was  born  in  Gran- 
ville,  Ohio,  in  1808,  his  parents,  who  were  natives  of  Rhode  Island 
and  emigrants  from  Massachusetts,  having  come  into  the  State  in 
1805.  His  early  religious  impressions  and  education  were  of  the 
Puritan  faith  among  the  Presbyterians.  He  was  converted  at  the 
age  of  six  years,  and  when  a  youth  was  granted  a  letter  of  dis- 
missal from  the  Church  of  his  parents  to  the  Methodists.  He 
preached  his  first  sermon  in  1819,  when  but  eleven  years  of  age,  at 
a  quarterly  meeting  held  upon  the  South  Fork  of  Licking  Creek, 
to  some  sixty  persons  who  had  come  too  late  to  be  admitted  to  the 
love- feast;  and  being  not  a  little  discomfitted  by  their  failure  to 
participate  in  the  earlier  meeting,  and  with  nothing  to  do  but  to 
wait  for  the  public  service,  which  did  not  commence  until  eleven 
o'clock,  Gavitt,  seeing  their  disappointment,  proposed,  if  they  would 
be  gracious  enough  to  hear  him,  to  preach  to  them,  and,  mounting 
a  horse-block  some  distance  from  the  log  church  so  as  not  to  inter- 
fere with  the  love-feast,  he  announced  his  text:  "The  Lord  said 
unto  Samuel,  look  not  on  his  countenance  or  the  height  of  his  stature, 
for  the  Lord  seeth  not  as  a  man  seeth,  for  man  looked  upon  the 
outward  appearance,  but  the  Lord  looketh  on  the  heart."  (1  Sam. 
16:7.)  It  is  stated  that  as  a  result  of  his  sermon  a  young  woman 
professed  to  be  converted. 

During  his  early  years  Mr.  Gavitt  wrote,  as  he  tells  us,  many 
sermons  on  doctrinal  subjects,  which,  as  he  reviewed  them  in  his 
maturer  life,  he  thought  "would  hardly  pass  muster." 

Along  with  most  if  not  all  of  his  contemporaries  Gavitt  during 
his  early  ministry  was  compelled  to  meet  many  hardships  and 
undergo  countless  privations. 

The  educational  advantages  of  the  pioneer  Methodist  preacher 


66  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

were  very  meager,  but  those  that  did  exist  were  usually  put  to 
the  best  use. 

The  books  then  extant  bearing  on  subjects  of  such  thought  and 
study  as  would  interest  and  assist  the  minister  in  his  work  were 
seized  upon  with  an  avidity  as  keen  as  a  healthy  appetite  at  dinner 
time. 

But  in  the  matter  of  scholarship  he  made  not  even  any  pre- 
tensions, being  comforted  with  the  reflection  in  his  late  years  that 
he  had  sought  to  be  diligent  in  the  cultivation  of  his  mind  and 
heart  by  the  use  of  such  literature  and  reading  as  were  available 
in  early  times. 

When  there  had  been  conferred  upon  him  quite  late  in  life — 
so  late,  as  he  expressed  it,  that  it  came  very  nearly  missing  him — 
the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity,  he  said  to  a  brother  minister  who 
called  to  extend  congratulations,  when  expressing  his  surprise  and 
at  the  same  time  his  gratification  at  its  bestowal,  "I  do  not  feel 
worthy  of  the  title,  for,  as  the  dying  man  said  to  the  preacher  who 
had  come  to  render  consolation  and  to  ask  of  his  prospect  of  heaven, 
it  is  nothing  to  brag  about,  so  I  may  say  of  my  learning,  'It  is 
nothing  to  boast  about.'  "  Gavitt,  if  not  the  faculty  of  repartee, 
had  the  power  of  story  and  anecdote — as  full  of  them  as  a  fig  of 
seeds — with  which  he  could  enforce  a  statement  or  slay  an  opponent ; 
and  woe  be  to  the  one  who  fell  in  the  way  of  his  weapon,  for  by 
its  ready  and  skillful  use  he  could  put  his  antagonist  into  a  ridicu- 
lous light  and  "laugh  him  out  of  court." 

In  any  category  of  personal  references  to  members  of  the  Cen- 
tral Ohio  Conference,  the  list  would  be  noticeably  and  sadly  incom- 
plete were  no  mention  to  be  made  of  William  G.  Williams. 

William  G.  Williams,  besides  being  the  ideal  secretary  of  the 
Conference  for  twenty-three  consecutive  sessions,  "his  accuracy  in 
scholarship,  his  breadth  of  learning,  his  mastery  of  the  English 
language,  and  his  thorough  and  stimulating  methods  of  instruction," 
so  long  and  splendidly  exemplified  as  professor  in  the  Ohio  Wes- 
leyan  University,  where  from  the  founding  of  the  .college  until  his 
death  at  the  mature  age  of  eighty  years  he  was  honored  and  lovingly 
esteemed,  he  was  a  constant  inspiration  to  young  men  entering  the 
ministry  to  desire  and  acquire  such  literary  preparation  and  train- 
ing as  would  be  commensurate  with  the  growing  intelligence  of  the 
people  and  the  larger  demands  upon  the  preacher. 


Personal  Mention.  67 


His  voice  was  not  frequently  heard  on  the  Conference  floor  in 
debate  or  counsel,  but  nevertheless  he  exerted  on  the  minds  and 
lives  of  young  ministers,  and  also  upon  those  of  maturer  years  and 
experiences,  an  influence  and  impression  which  are  lasting  in  the 
thought  and  memory  of  the  Conference,  so  long  honored  by  his 
service  and  example. 

It  was  difficult  for  young  men,  while  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Conference,  who  had  small  appreciation  of  the  necessity  and  im- 
portance of  mental  study  and  discipline  to  gain  admission  into  the 
traveling  connection. 

And  no  one  when  in  Professor  Williams's  company  ever  dared 
to  indulge  in  the  relation  of  obscene  stories  or  in  senseless  frivolities, 
for  he  lived  a  life  as  straight  as  a  "gun  barrel"  and  as  clean  as 
white  linen. 

To  have  been  his  pupil,  to  have  observed  his  sincere  and  gentle- 
manly bearing  in  every  association  of  life,  to  have  known  and 
loved  so  noble  a  man  and  so  exemplary  a  Christian,  and  to  have 
passed  through  the  fine  mold  of  his  personal  and  intellectual  fashion- 
ing, is  a  rare  privilege  and  a  munificent  blessing. 

And  what  an  influence  of  goodly  impression  and  great  inspira- 
tion spreads  itself  to-day,  and  shall  through  the  generations  to 
come,  over  the  young  life  he  has  touched  in  the  countless  numbers 
of  young  men  and  women  who  have  gone  out  from  his  presence  and 
teaching  into  the  various  vocations  of  the  world ! 

Here  we  shall  see  him  no  more,  but  yonder  where  the  holy  abide 
we  hope  to  meet  him. 

Alexander  Nelson,  the  father  of  the  late  Professor  E.  T.  Nelson, 
of  the  chair  of  Biology,  and  Professor  Clara  Nelson,  teacher  of 
French  in  the  Ohio  Wesleyan,  had  been  in  young  manhood  a  teacher 
in  the  Norwalk  Seminary  for  a  short  time. 

His  call  to  the  ministry,  his  experience  as  an  instructor,  and  his 
educational  equipment  made  him  a  useful  and  successful  minister 
for  a  time  in  the  Central  Ohio  Conference,  and  for  a  more  extended 
period  in  the  North  Ohio.  He  occupied  in  both  Conferences  many 
of  the  more  important  charges,  among  them  William  Street,  Dela- 
ware, for  two  terms. 

In  the  pulpit  he  was  analytic,  Scriptural,  and  convincing;  in 
the  pastoral  relation,  brotherly  and  affectionate,  helpful  and  assidu- 
ous in  the  watch-care  of  the  flock. 


68  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

It  was  during  a  pastorate  in  William  Street  in  the  middle  sixties 
that  a  revival  of  wonderful  influence  and  results  occurred.  The 
inspiration  of  the  revival  was  due  to  two  sermons,  delivered  on  two 
successive  Sabbaths,  by  Bishop  Thomson,  who  was  a  temporary 
resident  of  the  place.  At  the  request  of  Dj.  Nelson,  the  bishop 
preached  the  first  Sabbath  on  "Chance  Work,"  and  the  impression 
produced  was  so  transcendently  great,  so  convincing  in  argument, 
and  so  sweeping  in  eloquence,  that  before  the  services  were  con- 
cluded the  bishop,  at  the  urgent  solicitation  of  the  pastor,  had  con- 
sented to  preach  the  following  Sabbath,  and  it  was  so  announced 
at  the  time. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  sermon,  Dr.  L.  D.  McCabe  led  the 
congregation  in  a  prayer  characteristic  of  him,  so  adoring  in  thanks, 
so  fervent  in  petition  and  supplication,  and  so  eloquent  in  appeal 
to  the  Throne  of  Grace,  that  that  even  enhanced  the  interest  and 
heightened  the  spiritual  situation. 

A  profound  silence  and  awe  swept  over  the  people,  and  it 
seemed  indeed  that  Pentecost  had  returned.  During  the  week  that 
followed  the  sermon  and  occasion  of  the  Sabbath  before  were  the 
universal  theme  of  conversation  and  remark,  and  by  the  time  the 
next  Sabbath  had  come  and  the  hour  for  worship  had  been  sounded, 
the  great  church  was  filled  to  its  utmost  capacity,  many  being  com- 
pelled to  go  away  because  there  was  no  room.  The  sermon  of  the 
bishop  the  second  Sabbath  was  even  more  wonderful  and  effective 
than  on  the  former.  The  theme,  "Is  there  a  God?"  was  developed 
in  the  thought  and  discourse  of  the  hour  from  every  possible  stand- 
point, not  from  the  Bible  alone,  but  from  nature,  from  creation, 
from  science,  from  the  consciousness  and  intuitions  of  the  race, 
from  history  and  religion,  and  from  necessity  and  the  destiny  of 
men,  while  through  it  all  there  swept  such  a  spiritual  force  and 
such  streams  of  heavenly  baptism  as  to  make  the  great  scholar,  the 
classical  speaker,  and  the  peerless  preacher  to  seem  as  if  some 
supernatural  being,  redeemed  by  the  blood  of  Christ  and  fresh 
from  the  throne  of  God,  had  come  down  to  unfold  the  mysteries 
of  creation  and  the  destiny  of  the  race. 

Again  Dr.  McCabe  led  in  prayer,  more  touching  and  eloquent 
than  before,  until  the  sense  of  God's  presence  and  power  became 
well-nigh  oppressive. 

That  night  sinners  were  at  the  altar,   and  on  the  nights  iin- 


Personal  Mention.  69 


mediately  following,  under  the  wise  and  judicious  leadership  of  the 
pastor,  assisted  by  members  of  the  Faculty  and  other  ministers; 
scores  came  forward,  reaching  as  many  as  one  hundred  and  twenty, 
night  after  night  when  the  meeting  had  reached  its  zenith  of  power 
and  interest.  The  two  colleges  then  were  still  separate,  and  the 
two  hundred  young  women  in  the  Female  College  were  all  of  them, 
those  who  had  not  been  Christians  before,  brought  into  the  ex- 
perience of  pardon,  while  the  university,  dismissing  its  classes, 
turned  the  tide  of  its  young  and  vigorous  life  into  the  Kingdom  of 
God. 

The  situation  seemingly  thrust  upon  the  Church  at  this  time 
was  successfully  handled  by  Dr.  Nelson.  There  were  no  false 
fires  built  in  the  meeting;  the  fires  that  burned  were  kindled  by 
the  Holy  Spirit  and  fed  with  God's  grace;  there  were  no  extraneous 
methods,  no  artificial  devices,  no  blare  and  glare  of  trumpets,  but 
a  great  revival,  simple  in  its  forms  of  service,  deep  and  searching 
in  its  gospel  appeals,  characterized  by  no  wind  or  storm  of  excite- 
ment. The  unsaved  \vho  attended  it  became  convicted,  grew  deeply 
penitent,  sought  the  Lord  in  prayer,  laid  hold  by  faith,  were  con- 
verted to  God  and  gave  evidence  of  it,  and  then,  with  the  benediction 
invoked,  went  out  to  their  homes,  their  rooms,  their  halls  of  learning, 
and  to  their  occupations,  to  live  another  life  and  to  rejoice  in  sal- 
vation. That  was  all,  and  that  was  sufficient. 

Never  before,  and  possibly  never  since,  has  Delaware  witnessed 
such  scenes  of  grace  and  such  demonstrations  of  saving  power  as 
when  Dr.  Nelson  was  pastor  of  the  Church.  This  man  of  culture 
and  grace  lived  to  a  venerable  age,  and  was  laid  away  hard  by  the 
town  where  his  name  is  not  only  precious  in  the  memory  of  the 
community,  but  prominently  identified  with  the  history  of  the  in- 
stitution. 

And  what  shall  be  said  of  Leonard  B.  Gurley  besides  being 
beautiful  in  spirit,  poetic  in  imagination,  a  writer  of  poetry,  and  an 
eloquent  preacher?  A  man  who  discoursed  on  great  themes,  giving 
them  the  setting  of  beauty,  the  touch  and  finish  of  the  artist,  the 
strength  and  effect  of  persuasive  thought,  and  that  spiritual  in- 
toning without  which  no  sermon  can  be  great. 

His  mental  faculties  never  grew  dull,  his  powers  of  thought 
and  passion  were  never  caged  by  advancing  years,  nor  by  cessation, 
from  work  which  length  of  days  had  exacted. 


70  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

His  star  as  an  eloquent  divine  never  set  until  he  lay  down  in 
death.  The  Churches  he  so  ably  served,  the  congregations  he  con- 
structed, and  the  noble  life  he  spent  are  the  monuments  which 
time  can  never  tarnish,  nor  the  ages  ever  overturn. 

He  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Delaware  amid  many  who, 
by  the  characters  they  formed  and  the  work  they  did,  hallow  the 
soil  that  covers  them  from  our  sight. 

Two  brothers,  Amos  and  Harvey  Wilson,  beloved  by  their  com- 
rades in  Christian  warfare,  can  not  pass  without  notice. 

Amos,  the  older  brother,  was  aggressive  in  spirit,  in  haste  in- 
deed to  achieve  his  aims  and  to  strike  at  once.  The  study  and 
mastery  of  English  grammar  was  a  difficult  task  for  him,  not 
because  he  could  not  learn  it,  but  because  he  could  not  see  any 
great  necessity  in  learning  its  technique;  and  for  his  failure  to 
master  the  study  in  the  first  year  of  the  preacher's  Conference 
course  he  was  continued  over  until  the  next.  He  failed  again  and, 
being  asked  why,  he  replied  by  saying,  "Grammar  does  n't  make 
my  soul  happy."  Nevertheless  he  finally  made  a  passing  grade 
and  was  admitted  into  the  Conference.  He  was  a  strenuous  patriot ; 
he  believed  in  the  Union,  and  prayed  for  the  cause  of  freedom. 
His  voice  was  lifted,  strong  and  decisive,  in  the  days  of  the  War 
of  the  Rebellion  against  the  doctrine  of  secession,  and  when  the 
South  made  trouble  for  the  North  and  worse  trouble  for  themselves, 
he  warmly  espoused  in  sermon  and  speech  everywhere  the  cause 
of  the  Union,  never  forgetting  to  pray  for  "the  boys  in  blue;"  nor 
was  he  ever  deterred  from  expressing  his  sympathy  with  the  North 
and  his  loyalty  to  the  Stars  and  Stripes  by  any  threat,  however 
violent  or  full  of  menace.  This  incident  is  related  of  him: 

His  charge  was  in  a  portion  of  Ohio  where  there  was  wide 
and  inveterate  hatred  of  the  Negro,  and  where  there  was  organized 
sympathy  with  secession  in  the  South. 

In  the  vicinity  of  the  appointment  which  he  was  to  fill  one 
Sunday  afternoon  there  lived  a  local  bully,  rough  and  stalwart. 
This  local  Hercules  had  made  the  threat  that  if  the  preacher  should 
refer  in  any  way  to  the  war  he  would  assault  him  and  put  him  out 
of  the  "meeting  house."  By  some  means,  it  may  have  been  Provi- 
dential, for  God  was  present  in  those  days  to  look  after  His  cause 
and  its  friends,  Mr.  Wilson  got  word  of  the  bully's  intention  while 
on  his  way  to  the  church.  The  preacher  before  he  reached  his 


Personal  Mention.  71 


appointment  had  taken  the  precaution  to  forcibly  arm  himself  and, 
after  securing  the  necessary  weapon  of  defense,  went  on  his  way 
to  the  place  of  service.  On  his  arrival  at  the  church  a  friend  of 
his,  and  one  deeply  loyal  to  the  flag,  informed  Wilson  that  the 
man  who  had  offered  the  threat  was  in  the  house  and  seated  on 
the  front  bench,  just  in  front  of  the  pulpit. 

On  entering  the  pulpit,  which  was  a  box-like  structure,  reached 
by  a  number  of  steps,  Wilson  asked  one  of  the  class  leaders  to 
bring  him  a  bowl  of  water,  the  congregation  supposing  it  was 
brought  for  baptismal  purposes.  This  done,  he  proceeded  without 
any  obvious  trepidation  at  least  with  the  preliminary  exercises,  the 
congregation  singing,  it  may  have  been,  "Am  I  a  soldier  of  the 
cross?"  or  some  other  militant  hymn,  and  the  preacher  offering 
prayer,  holding  one  eye  half  open  on  the  supposed  antagonist  all 
the  time  and  not  forgetting  to  ask  the  Almighty  to  bless  the  cause 
of  freedom  and  the  soldiers  contending  for  it;  and  then,  with- 
drawing from  beneath  his  coat  the  gun  he  had  secured,  said:  "I 
have  been  informed  while  on  my  way  here  to-day,  and  by  a  friend 
since  I  arrived,  that  there  is  a  man  in  the  house,"  and  his  gaze 
went  straight  down  at  the  author  of  the  insolence  and  insult,  "who 
has  threatened  my  safety  and  indeed  my  life  in  case  I  make  any 
reference  in  my  sermon  or  remarks  to  the  soldiers  of  the  Union,  or 
to  the  cause  they  defend;  and  I  wish  to  say  further  that,  however 
great  the  danger  to  which  I  may  be  exposed,  I  can  not  and  will  not 
refrain  from  expressing  my  convictions,  if  I  shall  be  so  moved ;  and 
the  least  movement  or  motion  I  observe  by  any  one  to  molest  the 
hour  or  to  assail  my  person,  he  will  be  shot  on  the  spot,"  and 
thrusting  the  squirt-gun,  which  he  had  made  from  the  branch  of  an 
elderberry  bush,  into  the  bowl  of  water  and  directing  it  at  the  man 
below,  said,  "He  will  get  this,"  and  away  went  the  watery  contents 
of  the  pop-gun  at  the  bully  below. 

A  local  tradition  has  come  down  that  the  fellow  who  went  to 
church  that  Sunday  afternoon  to  assault  and  eject  Mr.  Wilson  from 
the  house  of  worship  left  the  country  shortly  after  the  battle  never 
to  return. 

Mr.  Wilson  went  West  shortl}'  after  the  war  closed,  where  he 
spent  a  number  of  years  in  faithful  service  for  the  Master,  and 
some  time  in  the  practice  of  medicine,  to  which  he  had  been  ad- 
mitted in  earlier  life.  He  returned  to  Ohio  fifteen  years  ago  and 


72  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

settled  in  Ada,  where  he  pursued  his  profession  until  disabled  health 
forced  him  to  retire.  He  did  not  live  long  after  he  quitted  his 
medical  practice.  He  died  in  the  faith  of  the  gospel. 

Thomas  H.  Wilson,  the  brother  of  Amos,  was  a  man  to  whom 
nature  was  very  generous  in  the  gifts  and  qualities  bestowed. 
Neither  he  nor  his  brother  had  ever  enjoyed  the  advantages  of  a 
literary  education.  As  was  the  case  with  most  Methodist  preachers 
in  the  early  days,  their  education,  besides  that  which  the  country 
schools  furnished,  was  gotten  chiefly  in  the  university  of  experience. 

Their  theological  studies  were  pursued  on  horseback,  and  at 
the  fireside  of  the  pioneer  settler,  from  a  small  number  of  books, 
and  in  contact  with  nature,  so  variously  and  charmingly  expressed ; 
and  in  these  associations  Thomas  Wilson  found  great  delight  and 
gathered  useful  lessons.  The  birds  taught  him  music  and  song, 
the  flocks  on  the  plain  and  hillside  taught  him  innocency  and 
docility;  the  opening  spring,  with  her  buds  and  bloom,  her  sun- 
shine and  glow,  her  fresh  fragrance  of  flower  and  soil,  spoke  of 
the  laws  of  expanding  life;  while  summer  and  autumn,  with  their 
growing  grain  and  ripening  fruits,  taught  him  of  maturity  and 
completeness.  His  strolls  were  often  amid  the  shades  of  evening 
and  the  glories  of  morning,  in  the  leafy  wood  and  through  the 
parted  grasses,  where  deep  retreats  and  quiet  scenes  lured  him  to 
thought  and  meditation. 

From  all  these  he  drew  lessons  and  pictures,  hints  and  sugges- 
tions for  sermon  and  discourse.  His  style  of  speech,  therefore,  was 
the  teaching  of  nature,  and  his  diction  of  that  grace  and  beauty  so 
rich  in  the  landscape  about  him.  He  could  hear  and  loved  to  listen 
to  the  undertones  audible  all  around  and  responsive  to  a  poetic 
imagination. 

Xo  surprise,  then,  that  at  times  at  least  his  pictures  and  words 
were  as  irresistible  as  the  dew;  no  wonder  either  that  when  he 
preached,  his  heart,  sensitive  and  vibrant  with  the  breathings  of 
the  gentle  Savior,  strong  men  would  weep  and  sober  souls  would 
smile ! 

Then,  too,  there  was  Joseph  Wykes,  with  a  nature  unperturbed 
by  cloud  or  storm;  a  man  whom  everybody  loved  to  hear  sing,  for 
his  voice  was  clear  as  note  of  bird  and  as  melodious  as  seraph's 
song. 

For  long  years,  when  attending  the  sessions  of  the  Conference, 


Personal  Mention.  73 


the  brethren  would  turn  instinctively  to  Joseph  Wykes  to  start 
the  hymn,  and  then  in  strains  cadent  and  finely  measured  he  would 
lead  the  singing,  which,  through  its  flow  of  melody  and  grace, 
would  spread  over  all  the  Conference  a  sense  of  holy  joy  and 
heavenly  rapture.  He  was  a  thoughtful  and  acceptable  minister 
of  the  glorious  gospel,  and  by  his  gentle  manner  and  loving  in- 
struction in  pulpit  and  the  home  he  won  friends  by  the  hundreds, 
and  at  last  left  behind  a  legacy  of  service  and  sacrifice  that  has 
enriched  the  Church.  When  advanced  to  a  ripe  old  age  he  passed 
away  to  the  life  where  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect  will 
chant  forever  the  praises  of  God. 

Among  the  ministers  active  for  a -long  time  in  the  ministry  of 
the  Conference  was  Ambrose  Hollington. 

At  times  his  power  of  eloquence  was  almost  overpowering.  The 
absorption  of  his  theme  and  his  obliviousness  of  his  surroundings 
so  accentuated  his  personality  and  so  intensified  his  faculty  of 
utterance  as  to  cast  a  spell  of  alternating  awe  and  emotion  over 
his  eager  listeners. 

And  then,  too,  there  was  such  independency  of  belief  and  doc- 
trine with  him,  which,  though  at  first  somewhat  startling,  would 
lead  up  to  positions  and  arguments  unquestionably  tenable  and 
challenging  contradiction. 

Among  the  notable  circuit  riders  and  excellent  presiding  elders 
and,  as  well,  practical  preachers,  Samuel  L.  Roberts  is  widely 
remembered  and  esteemed. 

He  was  not  learned  in  the  sense  of  the  schools,  never  given  to 
intense  study  of  literature,  not  a  wide  reader  of  books,  but  a  man 
who  did  much  thinking  embracing  general  knowledge. 

He  was  the  honest,  unassuming  product  of  nature,  spun  out 
of  common  sense  and  from  a  hardy  ancestry,  and  a  child  of  God's 
grace. 

He  possessed  a  voice  which  at  times  was  unduly  loud  and 
people  heard  him  not  only  physically,  but  spiritually,  and  fled  from 
their  sins  and  turned  to  the  Lord.  His  voice  was  often  full  of 
pathos,  notwithstanding  its  stentorian  power,  and,  under  certain 
trains  of  thought  and  circumstances,  characterized  by  a  weirdness 
that  greatly  added  to  his  success  as  a  preacher.  His  evangelistic 
spirit  and  note  gave  him  great  influence  and  effectiveness  in  re- 
vivals, and  many  were  those  whom  he  turned  to  righteousness. 


74  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

His  memory  is  widely  cherished  for  his  brotherly  and  optimistic 
spirit,  for  his  friendly  hand  was  always  outstretched  to  help  and 
support  his  brethren  and  any  others  that  were  in  need  in  the  com- 
munity. 

If  occasion  called  for  it,  he  could  wield  a  sharp  sword  and  with 
its  strokes  of  power  cause  the  wicked  to  cry  out. 

His  faculty  of  administering  the  affairs  of  the  Church  was 
above  the  ordinary,  and  during  his  terms  as  presiding  elder  it  found 
large  and  approved  illustration. 

He  was  elected  to  the  General  Conference  four  sessions.  He 
crowned  his  ministry  by  traveling  a  large  circuit,  where  he  found 
plenty  to  do  and  a  sense  of  gratification  that  he  could  preach  the 
gospel  to  the  last.  He  died  as  he  had  lived,  with  his  eye  on  the 
cross  and  his  faith  in  God. 

His  widow,  who  gladly  shared  with  him  the  toils  and  triumphs 
of  a  long  and  useful  ministry,  survives,  living  in  the  peace  and 
comfort  kind  sons  and  daughters  bestow. 

One  of  the  prominent  and  busy  men  of  the  Conference  was 
Leroy  A.  Belt,  who  died  when  but  seventy  years  of  age,  after  giving 
a  half-century  to  the  Conference  he  helped  to  build. 

His  stature  was  above  six  feet,  his  avoirdupois  some  two  hundred 
and  sixty  pounds ;  stalwart  in  frame,  vigorous  in  health,  and  stand- 
ing head  and  shoulders  above  his  brethren  like  Saul  of  old. 

His  early  ministry  was  spent  on  large  and  difficult  circuits, 
where,  in  addition  to  preaching,  visiting,  holding  revivals  at  all  the 
societies  of  extensive  charges,  there  were  churches  to  erect;  and  it 
was  no  uncommon  thing  for  him,  in  order  to  provide  new  com- 
munities with  houses  of  worship,  to  handle  shovel  and  wheelbarrow 
to  bring  sand  and  stone  for  foundation  and  structure.  Monuments 
to  his  push,  his  energy,  and  his  devotion  to  the  Church  mark  many 
spots  in  country  and  town  where  he  labored  and  served. 

He  served  as  presiding  elder  on  the  Toledo,  the  Delaware,  the 
Findlay,  and  the  Bellefontaine  Districts. 

During  his  incumbency  of  the  Toledo  District  the  Churches 
were  multiplied,  the  societies  strengthened,  and  the  prominence  and 
influence  of  the  Church  greatly  increased.  His  administration  of 
the  work  on  the  districts  was  marked  by  the  same  activity  and 
energy  which  characterized  him  in  whatever  position  he  occupied. 
He  was  a  strong  and  influential  factor  in  bringing  about  the  union 


Personal  Mention.  75 


of  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University  and  the  Female  College,  and  as 
financial  agent  of  the  university  he  gathered  large  sums  for  the 
increase  of  funds.  His  trusteeship  of  the  university  spread  over 
a  number  of  years  and  aided  in  the  standing  and  prosperity  of  the 
institution. 

He  was  prominently  and  officially  connected  with  the  Lakeside 
Camp  Meeting  Association,  and  one  of  the  originators  of  the  enter- 
prise. In  the  taking  over  by  purchase  and  control  of  the  Ohio 
Northern  University  he  occupied  an  important  relation  and  per- 
formed a  noble  service.  He  was  elected  the  first  president  of  the 
college,  and  while  in  the  office  the  Brown  auditorium  and  other 
material  improvements  were  added  to  the  school.  He  was  elected 
seven  times  a  delegate  to  the  General  Conference,  was  a  member 
of  the  Book  Committee  from  1884  to  1888,  and  a  candidate  for  the 
position  of  Book  Agent  at  several  quadrenniums. 

He  lies  in  Oak  Dale  Cemetery,  Delaware,  Ohio,  where  others 
of  his  family  are  buried,  awaiting  the  resurrection  of  the  just. 

Another  name  I  call  up,  Joseph  Avers — tall  and  erect  to  the 
last,  who  as  a  member  of  the  Conference  contributed,  by  the  gen- 
erous talents  he  possessed,  the  long  service  he  rendered,  and  the 
noble  life  he  lived,  large  things  to  the  growth  of  Methodism  in 
Ohio.  His  preaching  abilities  were  of  a  high  order,  developed  and 
emphasized  by  patient  study,  wide  reading,  and  practical  piety. 
As  a  presiding  elder  he  made  a  record  of  wise  administration  and 
evangelistic  fervor.  As  counselor  and  Christian  brother  he  exhibited 
prudence  and  showed  affection. 

The  time  God  gave  him  to  spend  for  the  Church  and  in  the 
furtherance  of  education,  philanthropy,  and  religion  was  far  more 
than  that  allotted  to  most  men,  being,  when  he  said  good-bye  to 
loving  friends,  almost  one  hundred  years  old.  He  entered  the 
New  York  Conference  in  1830,  and  passed  to  his  reward  in  1903. 

Others — as,  for  example,  Gershom  Lease — are  worthy  of  un- 
stinted praise.  Lease  gave  almost  fifty  years  to  the  Central  Ohio 
Conference,  entering  the  ministry  in  1852  and  dying  in  1901. 

His  pastorates  in  the  Conference  were  on  circuits,  in  county 
seat  towns,  and  for  a  year  in  Toledo.  In  the  presiding  eldership 
he  showed  fine  executive  ability,  and  on  the  Conference  floor,  in 
the  direction  and  shaping  of  business,  he  evinced  great  wisdom  and 
won  encomiums  from  his  brethren. 


76  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

He  was  a  man  whom  one  must  know  in  order  to  appreciate  his 
talents  and  character.  He  gave  himself  to  obligation  and  duty, 
unfurling  no  banner  to  the  breeze  to  herald  his  coming,  and  carried 
no  billboard  to  publish  his  purpose  or  to  proclaim  his  abilities. 
He  was  a  worker  rightly  dividing  the  truth  and  faithfully  fulfilling 
his  mission. 

These  delineations  of  the  men  named  present  a  variety  of  talent 
and  character,  and  they  have  been  given  not  only  to  make  merited 
mention  of  the  persons  described,  but  to  indicate  the  wide  range 
of  personality  God  has  called  and  the  Church  has  employed  to 
spread  the  gospel  and  to  establish  the  Kingdom. 

So  long  as  society  exhibits  in  •  nature  and  temperament  such 
widely  varying  traits,  so  long  will  there  be  chosen  men  of  differing 
individuality  to  reach  the  multitudes,  no  two  of  whom  are  alike. 

REV.  ELIAS  D.  WHITLOCK,  D.  D. 

The  Rev.  Elias  D.  Whitlock  was  born  in  Montgomery  County, 
Ohio,  near  Dayton,  November  12,  1834,  and  died  in  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  in  St.  Luke's  Hospital,  December  23,  1913.  He  had  five 
brothers  and  one  sister.  Three  brothers,  like  himself,  became 
ministers  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Stephen  H.,  who 
is  still  living,  and  John  W.  united  with  the  Illinois  Conference,  and 
William  F..  so  well  and  widely  known  as  professor  at  the  Ohio 
Wesleyan  University  and  chairman  of  the  Book  Committee,  entered 
the  North  Ohio  Conference,  and  Elias  D.  joined  the  Central  Ohio 
Conference  in  1873.  Each  achieved  distinction  in  his  own  Con- 
ference. Stephen  H.,  William  F.,  and  Elias  D.  were  each  elected 
to  the  General  Conference  of  1900  and  met  as  delegates  in  Chicago. 

Dr.  WThitlock  served  as  pastor  the  following  charges:  Ansonia, 
DeGraff,  Bellefontaine,  William  Street,  Delaware;  First  Church, 
Findlay;  St.  Paul's,  Toledo;  Asbury,  Delaware;  First  Church, 
Kenton :  Bellefontaine  a  second  term ;  Trinity,  Lima ;  Defiance,  and 
Fremont.  As  presiding  elder  he  served  on  each  of  the  following 
districts :  Toledo,  Bellefontaine,  and  Findlay. 

On  account  of  serious  illness  he  asked  to  be  placed  on  the  list 
of  retired  ministers  two  years  ago,  at  the  close  of  his  pastorate 
in  Fremont,  but,  regaining  his  health,  he  served  St.  Paul's,  Toledo, 
with  great  acceptability  last  summer,  during  the  absence  of  the 


Personal  Mention.  77 


pastor  on  a  foreign  tour.  Since  the  last  Conference  session  he 
served  as  pastor  of  Spring  Street  Church,  Toledo,  where  he  greatly 
endeared  himself  to  the  people  and  rallied  them  with  a  fine  en- 
thusiasm for  a  new  church. 

Dr.  Whitlock  received  his  college  education  at  the  Ohio  Wes- 
leyan  University.  While  a  student  there  the  Civil  War  was  on,  and 
he  enlisted  in  the  army,  and  after  completing  his  term  of  service, 
returned  and  graduated  in  1866. 

After  graduation  he  entered  the  profession  of  teaching,  and 
served  as  superintendent  of  the  public  schools  in  the  .following 
places:  Urbana,  Canal  Dover,  Barnesville,  and  St.  Paris,  from 
which  place  he  entered  the  ministry. 

While  superintendent  of  the  Urbana  schools  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Mallie  L.  Brand,  daughter  of  Major  Joseph  C. 
Bra-nd,  of  Urbana,  Ohio.  There  were  born  to  them  four  children — 
three  sons,  now  grown  to  manhood,  and  a  daughter,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  twelve.  Two  sons,  William  and  Frank,  reside  in  Cleve- 
land, Ohio.  The  eldest  son  is  the  Honorable  Brand  Whitlock, 
former  mayor  of  Toledo,  but  recently  appointed  by  President  Wil- 
son as  Minister  to  Belgium. 

The  Rev.  Elias  D.  Whitlock,  D.  D.,  was  a  man  of  such  physical 
appearance  as  to  attract  attention — tall,  broad  shouldered,  sparely 
built,  erect  of  figure,  with  a  massive,  finely  shaped  head  and 
squarely  set  jaw,  expressive  of  his  strength  of  will  and  determina- 
tion. His  open,  manly  face;  clear,  strong  voice,  and  commanding, 
dignified  bearing  made  him  a  striking  figure  in  any  assembly.  He 
was  a  manly  man,  a  man  among  men,  and  he  loved  to  be  in  the 
thick  of  things. 

He  was  a  man  of  rare  intellectual  gifts;  a  ready,  logical,  and 
forceful  debater,  with  strong  convictions  and  the  courage  to  main- 
tain them  against  all  opposition.  His  rare  talents  showed  best 
upon  great  occasions.  When  his  great  soul  was  deeply  stirred  he 
could  mount  up  easily  and  gracefully  to  sublime  heights  of  oratory 
and  pour  forth,  in  sermon  or  address,  profound  thoughts  in  most 
beautiful,  polished,  and  chaste  language,  perfectly  appropriate  to 
the  theme  and  the  hour. 

Dr.  Whitlock  was  always  recognized  by  his  Conference  as  a 
safe  and  wise  leader  whom  his  brethren  delighted  to  honor.  The 
highest  honors  of  the  Conference  were  repeatedly  bestowed  upon 


78  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

him.  He  was  continuously  kept  in  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the 
Ohio  Wesleyan  and  Ohio  Northern  Universities,  the  Flower  Hos- 
pital, and  the  Conference,  and  was  always  chosen  as  a  member 
of  the  most  important  commissions  and  committees.  Five  times 
he  was  elected  a  delegate  to  the  General  Conference. 

In  all  positions  of  trust  and  responsibility  he  discharged  his 
duty  with  a  high,  noble,  and  unselfish  purpose,  seeking  ever  to 
further  the  best  interests  of  the  Kingdom. 

Dr.  Whitlock  was  chosen  by  the  Conference  and  appointed 
by  the  bishop  as  editor  and  historian  to  prepare  a  history  of  the 
Central  Ohio  Conference.  He  had  entered  upon  this  difficult  task 
with  zeal  and  deep  interest,  and  had,  with  the  help  of  his  associate, 
Dr.  N.  B.  C.  Love,  collected  much  valuable  data  and  had  written 
many  of  the  leading  articles  of  this  history  before  his  sudden  and 
unexpected  death. 


VII. 

The  Beginning  of  Missionary  Movements. 

Gone  are  the  Fathers,  gone  to  rest, 

Their  mighty  work  of  faith  is  done, 

Their  conflicts  past  and  glory  won, 
Green  be  their  graves,  their  memories  blest. 
— T.  C.  READ. 

SOON  after  Columbus  discovered  America  the  French  caught  from 
the  Portuguese  and  Spaniards  the  spirit  of  discovery. 

The  English  also  became  competitors  for  the  gain  and  glory 
of  new  explorations.  Verrezano,  as  early  as  1524,  landed  in  North 
Carolina  and  went  northwest  to  Newfoundland. 

Cartier  started  in  where  Verrezano  left  off  and  explored  the 
St.  Lawrence  as  far  as  where  Montreal  now  stands,  and  went  on 
into  the  wilds  of  Canada.  Soon  after  Champlain  founded  Quebec, 
and  in  1608  made  it  the  capital  of  New  France.  Out  from  these 
points  the  French  explored  much  of  the  Great  Lakes  region.  There 
stood  in  their  way  no  European  colony.  They  had  the  vast  area 
to  themselves. 

The  Jesuit  Fathers  of  France  were  inspired  with  the  thought 
of  capturing  and  holding  the  North  American  continent  for  their 
king  and  the  conversion  of  the  aborigines  to  the  faith  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church.  They  were  sincere  in  their  endeavors,  and  pene- 
trated the  northern  parts  of  what  are  now  Maine  and  New  York, 
and  going  westward,  established  a  chain  of  missions  along  the 
shores  of  Lakes  Erie  and  Michigan  to  the  distant  region  of  Lake 
Superior. 

The  glory  of  these  discoveries  and  occupancy  must  be  divided 
between  Rome  and  France.  All  Europe  heard  of  the  wonderful 
evangelization  of  the  savages.  Wherever  the  French  went  the 
ardent  Jesuit  was  sure  to  go. 

The  Huron  tribe  became  a  special  object  of  missionary  zeal. 
It  occupied  the  region  extending  from  the  southern  shores  of  Lake 
Erie  to  the  ice  zone  of  the  North. 

79 


8o  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

The  Iroquois,  the  Wyandots,  and  other  Indian  tribes  were  the 
subjects  of  Jesuit  teaching. 

These  Fathers  were  intensely  loyal  to  the  cause  of  Christ  as  they 
understood  it,  and  true  to  the  interests  of  the  French  king  and 
government.  On  the  other  hand,  they  hated  the  English  and  Prot- 
estantism as  intensely  as  they  loved  the  French  Government  and 
the  pope. 

Among  these  Fathers  were  Druellettes,  Jaques.  Many  of  their 
missions  did  not  continue,  and  the  memory  of  them  had  almost 
perished  with  the  Wyandots  after  a  hundred  and  more  years  had 
passed,  when  John  Stewart  visited  the  Wyandots  and  found  a  few 
whose  grandparents  had  been  baptized  and  taught  by  these  Fathers. 

We  give  great  credit  to  these  early  propagandists  of  Roman 
Christianity.  In  the  wilds  of  New  York  and  Pennsylvania,  among 
the  Iroquois,  they  underwent  great  hardships.  They  had  the  desire 
to  Christianize,  first  as  Marquette,  Ryambault,  Jolliett,  and  Bibeuf 
had,  who  at  great  sacrifice  went  farther  north,  west,  and  south. 

They  endured  hunger,  cold,  and  cruelty  for  the  sake  of  the 
cause  they  represented.  They  raised  the  crucifix  wherever  they 
went;  baptized  candidates,  taught  pupils  to  use  the  rosary.  Some 
of  these  Fathers  were  put  to  death,  and  others  driven  off. 

The  accounts  of  these  and  other  Catholic  enterprises  are  known 
as  the  "Jesuit  Relations." 

They  were  taught  to  hate  the  English  and  the  Protestants. 
This  is  no  reflection  upon  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  in  America 
to-day,  but  a  statement  of  the  facts  of  history. 

After  these  came  the  Protestant  missionaries  of  the  Moravians, 
the  Episcopal  and  Presbyterian  Churches.  Following  these  came 
the  Methodist  itinerants. 

During  the  colonial  period  Protestantism,  excepting  in  Mary- 
land, was  planted  and  prospered.  The  emigrants  were  nearly  all 
Protestants — English,  German,  Huguenot,  Scotch,  and  Scotch-Irish. 

The  contests  in  the  New  World  for  supremacy  by  Spanish, 
French,  English,  and  American  in  turn  culminated  in  the  estab- 
lishment of  Protestantism  in  numbers  and  influences,  so  that  at 
the  close  of  the  American  Revolution  the  Christianization  of  the 
new  nation  was  the  task  of  the  Protestant  Churches. 

At  the  close  of  the  Revolution  the  missionary  spirit  took  hold 
of  the  older  denominations. 


The  Beginning  of  Missionary  Movements.  8l 

The  Methodists  were  a  small  people  and  engaged  in  evangelistic 
work  among  the  whites  and  colored,  but  did  nothing  for  the  con- 
version of  the  Indians. 

At  this  time  there  came  to  the  new  nation  a  spirit  of  toleration 
that  had  not  existed  everywhere  in  the  Colonial  States.  All  creeds 
and  confessions  came  into  full  possession  of  civil  and  religious 
rights,  and  have  so  continued  to  this  day. 

In  1619  Virginia  passed  a  law  requiring  the  instruction  of 
Indian  children,  but  it  had  little  observance. 

In  1636  Plymouth  Colony  undertook  preaching  to  the  Indians 
and  teaching  their  youth,  and'  young  men  in  Harvard  received 
special  training  for  Indian  missionaries. 

For  many  years  these  efforts  continued  in  New  England.  We 
have  all  read  of  the  missionary  work  of  Rev.  John  Eliot  in  New 
England.  The  account  is  most  interesting. 

In  other  Colonies  the  Reformed  Church  and  the  Episcopal 
Church  also  engaged  actively  in  this  work. 

David  Brainerd  did  a  great  work,  beginning  in  1742,  giving 
his  life.  He  was  assisted  by  Hawley,  Forbes,  Kirkland,  and 
Spencer,  who  were  strong  and  successful  laborers  among  the  "Six 
Nations;"  but  all  this  work  declined  because  of  the  frequent  mas- 
sacring of  the  whites  by  the  wild  Indians  and,  in  turn,  the  Indians 
by  the  no  less  cruel  backwoodsmen. 

In  was  revived  again  after  the  Revolution,  and  the  history  of 
thirty  to  forty  years  after  in  the  Central  West  and  the  Northwest 
shows  that  many  bloody  deeds  were  enacted  by  white  and  red. 
The  Indians  remaining  in  New  York  and  other  States  submitted 
to  the  situation. 

After  the  battle  of  our  army  under  Harmar  at  Ft.  Wayne,  in 
1791,  and  under  St.  Clair  at  Ft.  Recovery,  1792,  although  both 
were  defeated  by  the  Indians  under  Little  Turtle,  and  after  they 
met  with  signal  defeat  by  Wayne  at  Fallen  Timbers,  at  the  rapids 
of  the  Maumee,  1794,  they  were  ready  to  end  the  war,  and  met  in 
1795  at  Greenville  and  made  a  treaty  of  peace  with  the  chieftains 
and  tribes  of  these  great  outlying  territories,  which  was  well  kept. 

During  this  period  some  missionary  work  was  done  by  the 
Moravians. 

With  the  ending  of  the  War  of  1812-1815  with  England,  an  era 
of  lasting  peace  began  and  continued. 


82  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

At  that  time  there  was  no  organization  of  missionary  enter- 
prises in  behalf  of  the  Indians.  The  awakening  of  the  Churches 
by  the  Holy  Spirit  was  followed  by  the  calling  of  individuals. 


JOHN  STEWART  LISTENING  TO  THE  "VOICE"  WHICH  CALLED 

HIM  TO  PREACH  TO  THE  WYANDOTS. 
From  a  painting  by  Rev.  N.  B.  C.  Love,  D.  D. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  slow  in  seeing  her  duty 
to  the  Indians.  The  first  movement  of  the  Church  was  in  1818, 
in  the  city  of  New  York,  where  a  meeting  was  called  in  the  home 
of  Rev.  Laban  Clark.  It  elected  officers,  organizing  a  Home  Mis- 
sionary Society.  Drs.  Nathan  Bangs,  Freeborn  Garrettson,  and 
James  Clark  drew  up  a  constitution  and  by-laws,  which  were 
adopted  by  the  New  York  Preachers'  Meeting. 

Another  public  meeting  was  called  for  Forsythe  Church  early 
in  April,  1819.  Here  the  "Missionary  Society  of  the  Methodist 


The  Beginning  of  Missionary  Movements.  83 

Episcopal  Church"  was  organized:  Bishop  McKendree,  president; 
Rev.  Thomas  Mason,  secretary;  Rev.  Joshua  Lord,  treasurer. 

The  following  year  the  General  Conference  endorsed  and  recom- 
mended the  organization  to  the  whole  Church. 

Of  course,  the  remarkable  success  of  John  Stewart  with  the 
Wyandots,  commencing  in  1816,  was  reported  and  known  through 
the  Eastern  papers  of  the  day  by  the  whole  Church,  and  his  suc- 
cess for  three  years  in  no  small  degree  inspired  the  organization 
of  this  great  society. 


VIII. 


John  Stewart, 


PIONEER    MISSIONARY    OF    THE    METHODIST    EPIS- 
COPAL CHURCH. 

THE  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  from  its  organization,  in  1781, 
was  missionary  in  its  spirit.  It  made  continuous  efforts  towards 
the  conversion  of  the  "whites  and  blacks,  but  the  red  men  of  the 


SQUIRE  GREY  EYES, 

Chief  among  his  people,  and  a  local 
preacher. 


"  BETWEEN-THE-LOGS," 

An  Indian  Chief  of  the  Wyandot  tribe  and  a 
licensed  preacher  of  the  Methodist 
•     Episcopal  Church. 


forest  were  passed  by.  The  Minutes  of  the  Annual  Conferences, 
at  the  beginning  of  the  last  century,  reported  in  separate  columns 
the  numbers  of  whites  and  blacks  in  each  society,  but  no  figures 
for  the  Indians. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  aggressive  in  the  older 

84 


John  Stewart,  Pioneer  Missionary.  85 

States  and  passed  into  the  Northwest  Territory  and  the  greater 
West  and  South.  In  the  providence  of  God,  John  Stewart  was 
the  apostle  to  the  heathen  Wyandots  and  the  founder  of  the  first 
Methodist  Episcopal  mission  among  the  heathen. 

Before  the  advent  of  Stewart  the  most  cruel  and  bloody  prac- 
tices obtained  among  the  Wyandots.  In  this  respect  they  were 
not  different  from  the  other  Indian  tribes  of  the  Northwest.  The 
burning  of  Colonel  Crawford,  when  a  prisoner,  is  evidence  of  this. 
Even  the  women  and  children  participated  in  torturing  him.  We 
need  not  repeat  the  story  here.  The  Wyandots  were  the  leaders 
in  this  savage  deed.  Between-the-Logs,  it  is  claimed,  was  a  par- 
ticipant, and  such  were  the  people  to  whom  Stewart  carried  the 
gospel  of  love  and  peace. 

The  Wyandots  for  a  long  period  stood  politically  at  the  head  of 
an  Indian  federation  of  tribes,  and  so  were  recognized  by  the 
United  States  Government  in  the  treaties  made  with  the  Indians 
of  the  old  Northwest  Territory. 

The  names  of  chiefs  of  the  Wyandot  nation  appear  first  and 
prominently  in  the  treaty  made  at  Greenville,  in  1795,  between  the 
Government  and  the  Indians,  General  Wayne  acting  for  our  Gov- 
ernment. 

While  the  itinerant  bishops,  Asbury  and  McKendree,  and  their 
worthy  helpers  were  denied  the  honor  of  inaugurating  the  great 
missionary  movement  among  the  heathen,  they  are  to  be  honored 
for  their  unselfishness  in  giving  their  co-operation  and  support  to 
John  Stewart,  an  humble  mulatto  layman,  who  had  been  converted 
through  their  preaching,  and  whom  they  recognized  as  having  re- 
ceived the  call  of  God. 

John  Stewart's  parents  were  free  colored  people  who  resided 
in  Powhattan  County,  Virginia.  They  were  Baptists,  and  of  good 
repute.  John  went  to  winter  school  while  a  boy  at  home,  and  was 
more  favored  in  this  than  many  Negro  boys.  In  his  early  man- 
hood he  learned  the  dyer's  trade  and  earned  some  money,  but  a 
highwayman  robbed  him  of  all.  The  fear  of  destitution  worried 
him,  for  he  felt  that  to  be  poor  was  to  be  in  disgrace,  and  he  pur- 
posed to  commit  suicide.  Hesitating  in  this,  he  drank  intoxicants 
to  drown  his  sorrow,  until  a  kind  Christian  friend  persuaded  him 
to  desist  and  reform,  and  after  repeated  efforts  he  at  last  suc- 
ceeded. 


86  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

He  listened  to  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  by  the  Methodists 
and  was  converted.  Finding  no  Baptist  society  convenient,  he 
united  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Here  he  was  at 
home.  The  prayer  and  class  meeting  were  a  delight  to  him,  and 
all  his  prejudices  against  the  Methodists  gave  way.  He  also  pros- 
pered in  business  and  saved  some  money.  The  grandfather  of 
Bishop  McCabe  was  his  class  leader  and  personal  friend. 

Stewart,  as  described  to  me  (by  two  pioneers  who  knew  him 
well),  was  a  light  mulatto,  about  five  feet  eight  inches  high,  weigh- 
ing about  one  hundred  and  forty  pounds;  well- formed,  erect  in 
carriage,  easy  and  graceful  in  movement.  His  features  were  more 
European  than  African.  He  had  a  tenor  voice,  and  was  gifted  in 
song. 

He  often  went  into  the  fields  or  forests  to  meditate,  to  study 
the  Bible,  and  to  pray.  One  Sabbath  evening  he  was  in  the  edge 
of  the  woods  by  the  side  of  a  rivulet  that  ran  into  the  Ohio,  when 
a  voice  from  the  sky  seemed  to  say  to  him  in  audible  tones,  "Thou 
shalt  go  to  the  northwest  and  declare  My  counsel  plainly."  As 
he  listened  and  looked,  a  peculiar  halo  appeared  to  fill  the  western 
sky.  This  summons  was  repeated.  The  first  was  the  voice  of  a 
man,  the  second  that  of  a  woman.  That  he  was  honest  in  the 
thought  of  this  calling  there  need  be  no  doubt. 

A  deep  impression  was  made  on  his  astonished  mind.  He  had 
no  thought  of  preaching;  he  felt  he  would  obey  fully  by  teaching 
and  exhorting,  but  when  a  friend  told  him  he  was  called  to  preach 
he  rebelled,  feeling  he  was  not  prepared  nor  worthy.  He  resolved 
to  go  to  Tennessee,  but  sickness  came  to  him,  and  for  awhile  his 
life  was  despaired  of,  but  finally  recovering,  the  impression  that 
it  was  his  duty  to  go  to  the  northwest  was  intensified. 

The  northwest,  beyond  a  fringe  of  settlements,  was  a  vast, 
illimitable  wilderness,  occupied  by  savage  beasts  and  savage  men. 
He  resolved  to  go,  not  for  gain,  nor  for  fame,  nor  for  pleasure, 
but  to  save  souls  from  the  bondage  of  heathen  darkness.  The  risks 
were  many,  but  he  felt  that  an  unseen  hand  was  over  him.  Starting 
on  his  journey,  he  knew  not  whither  he  went  any  more  than  Abra- 
ham of  old.  His  friends  tried  to  persuade  him  not  to  go,  and  having 
started,  those  whom  he  met  in  the  settlements  also  tried  such  per- 
suasion, or  laughed  at  his  folly,  but  to  no  purpose.  The  red  men 
of  the  forest,  neglected  by  the  Government  and  despised,  feared, 


John  Stewart,  Pioneer  Missionary.  87 

and  hated  by  the  frontiersmen,  were  upon  his  mind;  he  believed 
they  were  dear  to  the  heart  of  Jesus. 

He  went  on,,  keeping  towards  the  northwest,  wading  streams, 
camping  alone  at  night,  unarmed  in  the  primeval  forests,  enduring 
hunger  and  many  other  hardships.  After  the  severe  toil  of  days 
the  exposure  of  nights  he  came  to  the  village  of  the  Delawares,  on 
the  head-waters  of  the  Sandusky  River.  The  Indians  extended  to 
him  the  hospitality  of  their  cabins.  Here  he  held  religious  worship, 
singing,  praying,  and  telling  the  story  of  the  dying  love  of  Jesus 
until  late  at  night,  when,  retiring,  he  fell  asleep,  feeling  that  his 
mission  was  accomplished  and  that  he  would  start  on  his  home- 
ward journey  in  a  day  or  two.  With  the  dawn  of  the  morning, 
however,  he  awoke  and  heard  an  inward  voice  telling  him  to  go 
farther.  Having  inquired  the  way,  he  started  again  on  his  pil- 
grimage. 

The  first  afternoon  he  came  to  the  cabin  of  a  white  family,  and 
was  refused  admittance  by  the  wife  until  the  return  of  her  hus- 
band. Upon  the  husband's  arrival,  while  supper  was  preparing, 
Ste\vart  sang  some  sweet  songs,  which  charmed  the  backwoods- 
man and  his  family.  He  offered  to  hold  services  at  night,  and  the 
boys  were  sent  posthaste  by  the  father  to  the  few  residents  in  the 
vicinity.  Stewart  had  about  a  dozen  in  his  congregation,  to  whom 
he  expounded  the  gospel  and  sang  Methodist  hymns,  to  their  great 
entertainment.  The  Divine  Spirit  was  in  the  word  and  several 
were  awakened  and  saved.  Among  the  number  was  the  daughter 
of  the  home  in  which  he  was  entertained.  He  tarried  for  several 
days,  holding  services  at  night  and  forming  a  class. 

In  a  few  days  he  found  himself  in  Upper  Sandusky,  an  entire 
stranger,  without  an  introduction  to  any  one.  He  called  at  the 
home  of  William  Walker,  sub-Indian  agent,  who  thought  him  a 
fugitive  from  slavery;  but  Stewart  in  a  sincere,  artless  manner 
gave  his  history,  including  his  Christian  experience.  Mr.  Walker 
was  convinced,  and  gave  him  words  of  encouragement,  directing  him 
to  the  cabin  of  Jonathan  Pointer. 

Pointer  was  a  black  man  who  had  been  stolen  by  the  Wyandots 
when  he  was  a  child.  He  could  converse  fluently  in  both  the 
English  and  Wyandot  languages.  Here  was  a  providential  helper 
in  opening  an  "effectual  door"  to  the  divinely  appointed  missionary 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


88 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


Pointer  was  not  favorably  impressed  with  Stewart,  and  tried 
to  dissuade  him  from  his  undertaking  by  telling  him  of  the  efforts 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  missionaries  and  their  complete  failure. 
He  did  not  know  that  "the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  cometh  not  by 
observation."  Indeed,  Jonathan  Pointer  was  as  much  a  heathen 
as  the  Wyandots,  and  was  at  that  time  preparing  to  participate 
in  an  Indian  dance  and  religious  feast.  Stewart  wanted  to  accorn- 


REV.  JAMES  B.  FINLEY  PREACHING  TO  THE  WYANDOT 
INDIANS  AT  UPPER   SANDUSKY. 

The  black  man.  Jonathan  Pointer,  interpreting. 

pany  him,  and  Jonathan  reluctantly  consented.  Stewart  as  a  visitor 
sat  in  silence  and  witnessed  the  dance.  When  an  interval  of  rest 
occurred,  he  asked  the  privilege  of  addressing  them  on  the  purpose 
of  his  visit,  which,  with  their  consent,  he  did,  Jonathan  interpreting 
and  rather  enjoying  the  notoriety  it  gave  him. 

Here  was  a  scene  worthy  of  the  brush  of  the  artist.  The  first 
heathen  audience  of  hundreds  of  Indian  warriors  in  war-paint  and 
gaudy  costumes  listening  to  a  messenger  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church ;  Jonathan,  too,  in  paint  and  feathers,  while  a  mild- 
mannered  mulatto,  told  them  the  purpose  of  his  visit.  Here  was 
Christian  courage  equal  to  that  of  Fr.  Marquette  or  any  of  the 
old  Jesuit  Fathers  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  In  this  Stewart 
evinced  extraordinary  courage  and  faith  in  the  Heavenly  Father. 

At  the  conclusion  of  his  address  he  invited  all  to  shake  hands 


John  Stewart,  Pioneer  Missionary.  89 

with  him,  and,  on  motion  of  Chief  Bloody  Eyes,  all  passed  by 
in  single  file  and  did  so.  An  appointment  was  made  at  Jonathan's 
cabin  for  the  next  evening,  and  by  the  light  of  the  cabin  fire 
Stewart  preached  his  first  sermon.  This  was  late  in  Novem- 
ber, 1816. 

Stewart  met  the  Wyandots  daily,  Jonathan  interpreting  and 
saying:  "What  Stewart  says  may  be  true.  I  do  not  know;  I  only 
translate  fairly."  Many  were  greatly  interested,  and  a  few  awak- 
ened. The  efforts  of  Stewart  to  secure  the  conversion  of  his  in- 
terpreter were  unceasing,  and  his  reward  soon  came  in  an  open 
confession  on  the  part  of  Jonathan,  who  became  a  firm,  outspoken 
believer.  The  soil  of  his  jovial  African  heart  was  thin  and  did 
not  bring  forth  perfect  and  matured  fruit.  He  was  naturally  vain, 
and  sometimes  was  given  to  drink;  but  God  used  him  as  one  of 
"the  foolish  things  of  this  world  to  confound  the  wise."  He  was 
demonstratively  pious  in  Church. 

The  missionary  met  with  opposition  from  the  whites,  who  sold 
"fire-water"  to  the  Indians.  They  maligned  him,  persecuted  and 
tried  to  scare  him  away.  They  said  "he  was  no  minister,  a  fraud, 
a  villain,"  and  some  of  the  leading  chiefs  became  his  enemies. 
Dark  days  had  come.  The  muttering  of  a  storm  was  heard,  but 
nothing  daunted,  Stewart  sang,  prayed,  and,  going  from  cabin  to 
cabin,  found  those  who  received  him  and  his  words  gladly.  The 
agent,  William  Walker,  Jonathan,  and  a  few  other  leaders  were 
his  friends.  Indians  prejudiced  by  Catholic  teaching  joined  the 
opposition.  His  Bible,  they  said,  "is  not  the  true  Bible ;"  but  these 
questions  being  left  to  Mr.  Walker,  the  decision  was  favorable  to 
John  Stewart.  Walker  said  there  was  little  difference  between 
the  Catholic  and  .Protestant  Bibles,  one  being  a  translation  from 
the  Latin,  the  other  from  the  Greek  and  Hebrew,  and  both  from 
the  same  original  documents ;  and  that  any  layman  called  of  God 
had  the  divine  right  to  preach  and  teach.  Thus,  through  this  lay- 
man and  Government  officer,  Stewart  was  helped  in  his  work. 

The  Wyandots  were  superstitious,  believing  in  magic,  witch- 
craft, religious  dancing  and  feasting.  These  things  Stewart  op- 
posed with  Scripture  and  reason,  and  gave  any  who  desired  the 
opportunity  to  defend  them.  John  Hicks,  a  chief,  undertook  this. 
"These  things,"  he  said,  "are  part  of  the  religion  of  our  forefathers, 
handed  down  from  ancient  times,  and  the  Great  Spirit  was  the 


90  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

Author   of  them,   and   all   nations   have   religions   given   them,   the 
same  being  adapted  to  their  needs." 

Mononcue,  then  a  heathen,  endorsed  what  Hicks  said.  He  also 
said,  "The  Bible  is  the  white  man's  book,  and  Jesus  the  white 
man's  Teacher;  they  were  sent  first  to  white  men,  why  not  to  the 
Indians?" 

Stewart  said:  "In  the  beginning  Jesus  commissioned  His  dis- 
ciples, saying,  'Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel  to 
every  creature.'  This  is  as  much  for  you  as  for  any  others ;  we 
bring  His  gospel  to  you,  and  if  you  receive  it  you  shall  not  be 
damned.  The  Bible  is  for  all.  Christ  died  for  all,  that  all  might 
be  saved." 

Stewart  continued,  and  Mononcue,  Hicks,  and  others  were  con- 
victed and  converted.  Many  others  embraced  the  truth.  These 
were  among  his  first  converts.  Having  never  been  Roman  Cath- 
olics, their  prejudices  were  easy  to  overcome. 

Crowds  came  to  Stewart's  meetings  nightly,  and  the  work  of 
revival  increased.  Many  of  the  younger  converts  became,  under 
the  leadership  of  Stewart,  good  singers.  Stewart's  solo  singing 
was  a  special  attraction  to  the  unbelievers.  He  always  sang  with 
the  spirit  and  with  the  understanding  also.  While  he  was  not 
demonstrative  nor  vociferous,  he  had  the  gift  of  persuasion  and 
could  logically  impress  the  truth  on  other  minds.  He  was  not  a 
scholar,  but  he  had  a  good  common  school  education,  and  upon 
this  foundation,  through  his  intercourse  with  books,  nature,  and 
God,  he  became  an  efficient  workman.  Several  of  his  sermons  found 
in  print,  although  not  fully  reported,  evince  the  fact  that  he  had 
clear  conceptions  of  theology,  especially  as  relates  to  man  as  a 
sinner  and  a  sinner  to  be  saved  by  grace. 

•  In  February,  1817,  Stewart  felt  that  something  more  radical 
must  be  done  in  order  to  bring  about  the  conversion  of  those  who 
were  under  his  instruction.  Their  convictions  were  more  of  the 
head  than  of  the  heart.  He  and  those  with  him  prayed  daily  for 
the  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  their  prayer  was  granted. 
Revival  power  came  upon  these  heathen,  and  there  was  deep  and 
pungent  conviction  for  sins,  and  real  conversions.  This  work  of 
grace  aroused  opposition. 

The  heathen  party  arranged  for  a  "Thanksgiving  Feast  and 
Dance."  It  was  for  the  whole  Wyandot  nation,  and  so  Stewart 


John  Stewart,  Pioneer  Missionary.  91 

and  his  followers  attended.  Stewart  went  with  misgivings ;  he 
simply  sat  and  looked  on.  To  his  surprise,  his  converts  joined 
in  the  dance,  Mononcue  with  others.  Stewart  had  protested  against 
this,  and  he  went  away  discouraged,  resolving  to  leave  them.  He 
announced  his  purpose,  and  preached  his  farewell  sermon  the  next 
Sunday  from  Acts  20 :  30.  This  sermon  was  reported  and  printed 
by  William  Walker.  Earnestly  Stewart  pleaded  with  the  converts 
to  avoid  all  heathen  practices,  and  warned  the  heathen  present, 
kindly  but  earnestly,  to  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come. 

He  narrated  his  call  to  come  to  them  and  his  labors  with  them, 
and  told  them  they  should  see  his  face  no  more.  There  was  general 
weeping,  even  the  heathen  joining  in  the  lamentation.  Stewart 
then  addressed  the  chiefs  and  principal  men,  while  silence  reigned 
among  the  large  audience  assembled  in  the  council  house  as  he 
bade  all  good-bye. 

On  the  suggestion' of  Mrs.  Warpole,  a  collection  was  taken  for 
Stewart,  amounting  to  ten  dollars.  He  left  and  returned  to  Mari- 
etta. A  few  remained  faithful.  Heathenism  and  drunkenness  held 
full  sway.  Only  twenty  men  of  the  Wyandot  nation  did  not  drink 
intoxicants.  Although  Stewart  was  away,  his  heart  was  with  the 
Indians,  and  after  only  a  few  months,  to  the  joy  of  the  Christian 
Indians,  he  returned.  During  his  absence  he  wrote  an  excellent 
pastoral  letter  to  the  little  flock.  Throughout  his  spirit  and  con- 
duct evinced  the  unselfishness  of  his  motives. 

With  his  return  came  an  increase  of  zeal  and  power,  and  in- 
creased success  crowned  his  efforts.  The  work  enlarged.  It  was 
more  than  Stewart  was  able  to  do.  A  prominent  Methodist  minister 
of  another  denomination  than  the  Episcopal  Methodists  visited  him 
and  tried  to  have  him  change  his  relationship,  but  it  was  of  no 
avail.  He  sent  an  account  of  "the  Lord's  doings"  among  the  Wyan- 
dots  to  a  session  of  the  Ohio  Annual  Conference,  and  asked  for  a 
helper  who  could  assist  him  in  preaching  and  administration. 

As  nearly  as  can  be  ascertained,  the  names  of  the  missionaries 
and  the  time  are:  John  Stewart,  1816  to  1823;  James  Montgomery, 
1819;  Moses  Henkle,  1820;  J.  B.  Finley,  1821  to  1827— part  of 
this  time  as  presiding  elder;  Charles  Elliot,  1822;  Jacob  Hooper, 
1823;  J.  C.  Brook,  1825;  James  Gilruth,  1826-27;  Russel  Bigelow 
served  as  junior  missionary  in  1827,  and  in  1828  was  in  charge  of 
the  mission  and  of  the  district  as  presiding  elder,  with  Thomas 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


Thompson,  junior  missionary;   B.   Boydson,    1830;    E.   C.   Gavitt, 

1831  ;  Thomas  Simms,  1832;  S.  P.  Shaw,  1835;  S.  M.  Allen,  1837; 

James   Wheeler,    1839-1813;    Ralph  Wilcox, 

1843. 

The  presiding  elders  from  1821  to  1813 

were:     Revs.  James  B.  Finley,  William  Sim- 
mons, James  McMahon,  Russel  Bigelow,  S. 

R.  Janes,  H.  O.   Sheldon,  John  H.  Power, 

Adam    Poe,    William    Runnels,    and    H.    M. 

Shaffer. 

The  teachers  in  the  mission  were:     Miss 

Harriett    Stubbs,    Miss    Margaret    Hooper, 

Liberty  Prentiss,  Miss   E.  A.  Gibbs,  Lydia    REV.  RUSSEL  BIGELOW, 

Barstow,  Asbury  Sabin;  Jane  Parker,  matron  Missionary. 

and  teacher  of  spinning,  weaving,  and  domestic  work;  Mrs.  Jane 

Riley,  L.  M.  Pounds,  and  the  missionaries'  wives. 

Stewart's  interpreters  were  Jonathan  Pointer,  William  Walker, 
Indian  agent;  Robert  Armstrong,  and 
Samuel  Brown. 

Up  to  this  time  Stewart  was  an  ex- 
horter,  his  license  being  signed  by 
Father  McCabe,  grandfather  of  Bishop 
Charles  C.  McCabe.  The  license  was 
given  while  Stewart  was  in  Marietta. 
He  now  attended  a  quarterly  meet- 
ing on  Mad  River  Circuit.  Bishop 
George  was  present  and  presided. 
"After  a  careful  examination,  John 
Stewart  was  licensed  as  a  local 
preacher." 

With  money  raised  by  Bishop  Mc- 
Kendree,  a  tract  of  fifty-three  acres  of 
land  on  the  east  side  of  the  Sandusky, 

near    Harmen's    Mill,   was   bought    for 

MARGARET  HOOPER,  fi  AT.         j_i_-     j.-         -n-  r.        -»«• 

_,  ,  .  .  .,       Stewart.     About  this  time  Bishop  Mc- 

The   second   female   teacher  that   the 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church  sent       Kendree,  in  feeble  health,  came  to  the 

mission  on  horseback,  from  Lancaster, 

Ohio,  and  was  accompanied  by  J.  B.  Finley  and  D.  J.  Soul,  Jr. 
The  bishop  was  delighted  to  find  "the  Lord  had  a  people  among 
the  Wyandots." 


John  Stewart,  Pioneer  Missionary. 


93 


The  money  paid  for  the  land  was  collected  by  Bishop  Mc- 
Kendrce  at  camp-meetings  and  Conferences.  In  this  is  not  only 
an  official  recognition,  but  a  memorial 
of  the  large-heartedness  of  this  pioneer 
bishop. 

About  1820  Stewart  married  Polly, 
a  mulatto  girl.  She  was  a  devout  Chris- 
tian, and  could  read  and  write.  With 
her  he  lived  in  his  own  cabin  home,  and 
with  the  help  of  his  wife  and  friends, 
soon  had  enough  from  the  virgin  soil, 
with  some  money  assistance  from  the 
Conference,  to  live  in  pioneer  com- 
fort. 

Near  the  end  of  1823,  after  a  battle 
with  consumption,  the  word  spread 
among  the  Christians  that  Stewart  was 
dying;  a  numbefr  of  Christian  chiefs 
and  devout  men  and  women  were  with 
him.  Christmas  and  the  New  Year 
were  at  hand.  Stewart  calmly  exhorted 
all-r-and  told  how  the  Lord  sustained  him,  and  gave  his  testimony 
to  the  power  of  Christ  to  save.  Holding  his  wife's  hand,  he  said 
to  all,  "O,  be  faithful,"  and  died.  In  an  humble  grave  on  his  land 
he  was  buried,  and  for  twenty  years  thereafter  no  stone  marked  his 
resting-place. 

But  he  was  not  forgotten.  His  grave  was  often  visited,  and 
the  Indian  youth  were  taught  to  place  flowers  on  his  grave  each 
spring  and  summer  time. 


THE  REV  JAMES  B.  FJNLEY, 

(At  43;— Missionary  to  the  Wyandot 
Indians  in  1822. 


FIRST  MISSION  HOUSE  ERECTED  IN  UPPER  SANDUSKY 
IN  1821 


94 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


WYANDOT  MISSION  CHURCH,  As  IT  WAS  WHEN  WYANDOT 
INDIANS  LEFT  IT  IN  1843. 


WYANDOT  MISSION  IN  RUINS,  1886. 


John  Stewart,  Pioneer  Missionary. 


95 


In  1843  the  Rev.  James  Wheeler,  missionary,  just  before  the 
Indians  left  for  the  West,  had  Stewart's  remains  taken  up  and  re- 
interred  at  the  southeast  corner  of  the  "old  mission/'  and  a  free- 
stone slab  placed  at  his  head  with  a  suitable  epitaph. 

This  church  was  erected  in  1824,  the  money — $1,333.33 — being 
donated  by  the  Government  through  Hon.  J.  C.  Calhoun,  Secretary 
of  War.  Rev.  J.  B.  Finley  was  the  instigator  in  securing  this, 


WYAXDOT  MISSION,  RESTORED  IN  1889. 
N.  B.  C-  Love  and  H.  W.  Peters,  Building  Committee. 

and  he  was  made  the  custodian  of  the  money  pending  its  disposi- 
tion in  the  erection  of  this  church.  The  building  later  went  into 
decay,  and  the  gravestones  were  carried  away  piecemeal  by  relic 
hunters  until,  in  1886,  all  vestige  of  them  was  gone.  A  similar 
condition  of  affairs  pertained  with  reference  to  the  woodwork  and 
the  furnishings  of  the  mission  church. 

In  1860  and  '61,  when  these  were  in  a  fair  state  of  preservation, 
the  writer,  then  a  young  man  in  his  first  station,  Upper  Sandusky, 
made  a  chart  and  diagram  of  the  church  and  cemetery,  the  location 
of  the  buried  dead,  with  copies  of  the  epitaphs  on  each  tombstone, 
which  he  preserved.  The  work  of  restoration  was  done  with 
money — $2,000 — donated  by  the  Missionary  Society  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  by  order  of  the  General  Conference.  The 


96  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

writer,  as  chairman  of  the  Restoration  Committee,  had  the  honor 
of  using  this  money  in  erecting  once  again,  out  of  its  ruins,  the 
first  mission  church  of  Episcopal  Methodism,  and  the  first  Prot- 
estant mission  church  in  the  Northwest  Territory.  When  Charles 
Elliott  was  missionary,  a  log  building  was  erected,  in  which  Stew- 
art, Elliott,  and  others  preached,  and  here  Harriett  Stubbs  taught 
the  children.  It  was  a  temporary  log  building  and,  so  far  as  we 
know,  was  not  used  exclusively  as  a  church,  and  was  not  dedicated. 
During  the  session  of  the  Central  Ohio  Annual  Conference  in 
September,  1889,  the  restored  mission  church  was  rededicated. 
There  were  several  thousand  more  people  present  than  could  get 
into  the  house,  so  the  services  were  held  under  the  old  oak  trees 
which  had  sheltered  the  hundreds  of  Wyan- 
dots  who  had  worshiped  in  the  church. 

Dr.  Adam  C.  Barnes,  presiding  elder,  was 
chairman.  Dr.  P.  P.  Pope,  grandson  of  Rus- 
sel  Bigelow,  led  in  prayer.  Addresses  were 
delivered  by  Bishop  J.  F.  Hurst,  Hon.  D.  D. 
Hare,  Dr.  L.  A.  Belt,  Gen.  W.  H.  Gibson, 
a  historical  address  by  the  writer,  and  remi- 
niscences by  Dr.  E.  C.  Gavitt,  only  surviving 
missionary,  and  a  hymn  in  Wyandot  sung 
by  "Mother  Solomon,"  a  member  in  her  child- 
hood of  the  first  mission  school.  Many  were 
present  whose  parents  or  grandparents  had 

been  connected  in  some  way   with  the   mis- 
MOTHER  SOLOMON. 

sion. 

The  name  and  work  of  John  Stewart  is  perpetuated  in  this 
restored  and  really  monumental  church  in  the  engraved  marble 
tablet  in  its  walls,  the  granite  marking  his  grave,  and  in  each  mis- 
sion Church  and  mission  school  of  Episcopal  Methodism  throughout 
the  world. 

The  good  work  inaugurated  by  this  humble  but  excellent  Chris- 
tian character  will  never  be  forgotten,  but  as  the  ages  come  and  go, 
and  the  heathen  world  is  brought  to  Christ,  his  name  shall  be  more 
remembered  and  honored.  All  admit  that  his  success  among  the 
Wyandots  led  to  the  organization  of  the  Missionary  Society  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  1819.  And  was  not  the  mission 
school  at  Upper  Sandusky  the  genesis  of  the  Woman's  Foreign 


John  Stewart,  Pioneer  Missionary.  97 

Missionary  work?     If  so,  then  all  honor  to   Harriett  Stubbs  and 
Jane  Parker  and  their  worthy  successors ! 

Let  the  name  of  Stewart  be  placed  in  the  list  of  the  world's 
benefactors.  May  his  sublime  faith,  clear  conviction  of  the  divine 
presence,  enthusiasm,  endurance,  patience,  and  unselfishness 
awaken  in  the  hearts  of  each  reader  of  these  pages  the  spirit  of 
emulation ! 

7 


IX. 


Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society 

OF  CENTRAL  OHIO  CONFERENCE. 
By  MRS.  E.  D.  WHITLOCK. 

THE  Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  was  organized  in  Boston  in  the  spring  of  1869.  Im- 
mediately thereafter  efforts  were  put  forth  throughout  the  Church 

to  organize  auxiliaries  in  the 
Annual  Conferences.  The 
first  of  these  in  Ohio  was  at 
St.  Clairsville,  and  organized 
July  30th  of  the  same  year 
by  Miss  Isabella  Thoburn, 
then  under  appointment  as 
the  first  woman  missionary  to 
India.  Then  followed  St. 
Paul's,  Delaware;  Wheeling, 
W.  Va. ;  Mt.  Auburn,  Cincin- 
nati ;  Bellaire,  and  in  Novem- 
ber, through  the  efforts  of 
Mrs.  A.  S.  Clason,  an  or- 
ganization at  William  Street, 
Delaware,  was  effected,  thus 
becoming  the  first  auxiliary 
of  the  Cincinnati  Branch, 
though  not  until  April,  1870,  was  the  society  districted  or  divided 
into  branches. 

From  Mrs.  Dr.  L.  D.  McCabe  I  have  the  following  account 
of  an  epochal  meeting  in  the  history  of  the  society  which,  perhaps, 
has  never  before  been  recorded:  "A  Methodist  Ministers'  Conven- 
tion of  Ohio,  in  the  early  seventies,  was  held  in  Delaware,  in  Wil- 
liam Street  Church,  and  was  notable  because  of  William  Street 
Auxiliary.  This  auxiliary  had  all  the  alertness  novelty  inspires, 

98 


MRS.  MALLIE  L.  WHITLOCK. 


W.  F.  M.  S.  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference.          99 

therefore  it  seized  every  opportunity  to  advance  the  cause.  This 
convention  was  our  open  door.  We  asked  the  crowded  convention 
for  a  little  time.  They  gave  us  the  hour  from  6.30  to  7.30  P.  M. 
Some  of  the  brethren  said,  'Go  ahead,  sisters,  and  we  will  stand 
by  you.'  We  expected  to  walk  into  an  empty  house  while  the  min- 
isters tarried  over  a  restful  cup  of  tea. 

"Our  society  insisted,  commanded,  that  I  should  preside,  while 
I  had  no  other  thought  but  that  Dr.  Mather,  always  our  sympa- 
thetic helper  and  pastor,  would  of  course  take  charge  of  the  meeting. 

"When  I  arrived  early  I  found  a  good  audience  already.  The 
house  filled  rapidly — I  believe  every  preacher  must  have  come. 
Soon  in  gallery  and  floor  of  old  William  Street  Church  there  was 
no  standing  room.  How  Mrs.  Clason,  who  came  later,  reached  the 
platform  through  the  crowd,  I  do  not  recall.  She  read  some  strong 
resolutions  which  had  been  very  carefully  prepared  by  the  society. 

"Every  item  of  the  meeting  was  thoroughly  wrought  out,  there- 
fore there  was  not  a  moment's  delay.  Some  one  spoke  briefly,  but 
Bishops  Peck  and  Wiley  were  the  principal  speakers.  I  never 
heard  either  of  them  do  so  well.  There  seemed  in  their  speeches, 
as  was  said  of  Mirabeau  on  a  crucial  occasion,  'such  a  power  of  life 
it  must  lift  the  roof.'  Bishop  Peck,  who  had  lost  a  daughter — a 
missionary  to  India — with  all  his  weight  moved  like  a  bird  over 
the  platform,  speaking  with  marvelous  eloquence  and  power.  Both 
he  and  Wiley  had  the  inspiration  of  seers.  God  was  with  us. 
One  could  feel  the  Spirit  like  a  luminous  cloud  filling  the  church. 
One  other  such  meeting  I  knew,  in  just  such  a  doubting,  almost 
desponding  atmosphere,  where  God  made  Himself  known  as  accept- 
ing the  work.  It  was  a  meeting  in  Ohio  Wesleyan  University 
during  the  great  temperance  crusade  of  1874.  The  preachers  were 
greatly  moved — shouted,  rejoiced.  It  was  pronounced  by  them, 
'The  gem  of  the  convention.'  Truly  God  gave  us  an  unmistakable 
sign  of  His  acceptance  of  the  Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  So- 
ciety." 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1870  Mrs.  Parker,  of  missionary  fame, 
was  sent  out  from  Boston  to  organize  the  Cincinnati  Branch.  In 
the  face  of  open  opposition  on  the  part  of  some,  but  with  undaunted 
courage  and  faith  by  others,  this  was  done  at  Trinity  Church,  Cin- 
cinnati, April  6th,  and  a  noble  history  has  followed.  The  territory 
comprised  Ohio,  West  Virginia,  and  Kentucky,  with  headquarters 


100  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

in  Cincinnati.  Tennessee  was  added  to  the  Branch  in  1883.  The 
first  work  assumed  was  the  support  of  Miss  Thoburn  and  her  work 
in  Lucknow,  India ;  a  share  in  the  Bareilly  Orphanage,  and  support 
of  day  schools  in  Naini  Tal,  requiring  $1,800  in  all.  The  first 
annual  report  showed  this  obligation  fully  met  and  $1,000  in  the 
treasury. 

Mrs.  B.  R.  Cowen,  in  her  history  of  the  Cincinnati  Branch, 
Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  says,  "During  the  second 
year  the  number  of  auxiliaries  increased  to  205,  and  the  ground- 
work of  the  missionary  structure  that  has  contributed  so  much  to 
the  salvation  of  the  world  was  thoroughly  laid."  The  receipts  for 
the  second  year  amounted  to  $8,423. 

Mrs.  Cowen  was  the  first  corresponding  secretary.  At  the 
annual  meeting  of  April,  1872,  because  of  her  removal  from  the 
territory  of  the  Branch,  Mrs.  R.  R.  Meredith  was  chosen  to  take 
her  place.  Five  assistant  corresponding  secretaries  were  also 
elected,  the  Branch  having  been  divided  into  five  districts — North- 
ern Ohio,  Central  Ohio,  Southern  Ohio,  West  Virginia,  and  Ken- 
tucky. Mrs.  A.  S.  Clason  was  chosen  to  fill  the  place  for  Central 
Ohio. 

At  this  meeting,  to  better  facilitate  the  work  throughout  the 
Conferences,  the  office  of  district  secretary  was  created,  and  pro- 
vision made  for  a  secretary  for  each  presiding  elder's  district  of 
the  several  Conferences.  The  following  women  were  among  the 
early  incumbents  of  this  office  for  the  Central  Ohio  Conference: 

Mrs.  Dr.  Richard  Adams.  .  .  .1874-5          Bellefontaine  District. 

Mrs.  Mary  R.  Haynes 1874-5          Delaware  District. 

Mrs.  Rev.  Wm.  Jones 1874-5          Findlay  District. 

Mrs.  Rev.  Jos.  Wykes 1874-5          Kenton  District. 

Mrs.  S.  B.  Duvall 1874-5          Lima  District. 

Mrs.  J.  W.  Hiett  ) 

_     ,    _  £ 1872  Toledo  District. 

Mrs.  R.  S.  Barter  j 

In  the  year  1884,  during  the  session  of  the  Central  Ohio  Con- 
ference at  Defiance,  the  Kenton  District  was  merged  into  other 
districts  of  the  Conference,  and  Defiance  District  was  formed. 
That  our  work  might  conform  to  that  of  the  Conference,  the  same 
change  was  made  in  the  Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society  of 
the  Conference,  and  Miss  Nettie  Kelly  was  chosen  secretary  of  the 
Defiance  District  for  1884-5. 


W.  F.  M.  S.  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference.         101 

Under  the  direction  of  these  district  secretaries  the  work  of 
organizing  auxiliary  societies  was  energetically  pursued  until,  in 
many  of  the  principal  charges,  local  societies  were  formed.  The 
arrangement  met  with  general  favor,  and  the  work  assumed  greater 
magnitude.  District  conventions  were  held,  where  plans  were  dis- 
cussed for  further  advancement  of  the  work,  and  it  was  soon  mani- 
fest that  no  mistake  had  been  made  in  creating  the  office  of  district 
secretary. 

Other  secretaries  who  have  served  in  these  several  districts  are: 
Miss  Mattie  Humphrey,  Mrs.  Dr.  C.  R.  Havighurst,  Mesdames 
Alfred  Butler,  Harry  Grey,  Bellefontaine  District;  Miss  Hardy, 
Mrs.  Nettie  Fawver,  Defiance  District;  Mesdames  W.  O.  Semans 
and  A.  M.  Wylie,  Delaware  District;  Mesdames  Thomas  N.  Bark- 
dull,  P.  C.  Dukes,  LeClare  Dukes,  Findlay  District;  Mesdames 
Harnly,  Walter  Leatherman,  Mortimer  Gascoign,  Miss  Luella  Hall, 
Mrs.  Dr.  T.  H.  Campbell,  Lima  District;  Mrs.  Dr.  W.  G.  Waters, 
Mesdames  E.  D.  Whitlock  and  Mary  Jaquett,  Toledo  District. 

The  secretaries  for  these  several  districts  for  the  year  im- 
mediately preceding  the  merging  of  the  Central  Ohio  and  the  Cin- 
cinnati Conferences  were:  Bellefontaine  District,  Mrs.  O.  L.  Mc- 
Laughlin;  Defiance  District,  Mrs.  Sidney  Thompson;  Delaware 
District,  Mrs.  C.  F.  Enyart;  Findlay  District,  Mrs.  A.  E.  Smith; 
Lima  District,  Mrs.  C.  V.  Stevens;  Toledo  District,  Mrs.  C.  R. 
Davenport. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  April  8,  1875,  it  was  decided,  on 
motion  of  Mrs.  Ingham,  of  Cleveland,  that  "the  Cincinnati  Branch 
be  arranged  with  reference  to  Conference  boundaries,  rather  than 
in  the  present  geographical  division,  and  that  a  secretary  be  ap- 
pointed for  each  Conference  or  fraction  of  a  Conference  included 
in  Branch  limits."  Also,  "that  the  name  of  assistant  correspond- 
ing secretary  be  changed  to  Conference  secretary,"  and  Mrs. 
Clason,  who  had  filled  the  position  of  assistant  corresponding  sec- 
retary for  three  years,  was  elected  Conference  secretary  of  the 
Central  Ohio  Conference.  The  following  year  (1876),  at  the 
annual  Branch  meeting,  Mrs.  P.  S.  Donelson  was  elected  Confer- 
ence secretary.  She  asked  to  be  relieved  from  the  work  at  the 
meeting  held  in  Hillsboro  in  1881,  and  Mrs.  Clason  was  re-elected 
to  the  office,  serving  in  this  capacity  for  eleven  consecutive  years. 

Mrs.  Clason  gave  fifteen  official  years  in  all  to  the  society— 


102  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

three  as  secretary  of  the  Central  Ohio  division  of  the  Branch,  and 
twelve  as  Conference  secretary  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 
These  years  of  service  were  characterized  by  devotion,  faithfulness 
in  the  performance  of  duty,  high  order  of  workmanship,  liberality, 
and  success.  She  gave  up  the  work,  not  from  choice,  but  because 
home  obligations  demanded  her  time.  After  years  of  rest  from 
active  work,  though  with  unabated  interest  in  the  cause,  Mrs.  Clason 
went  home  to  her  reward,  a  loved  and  honored  woman. 

Upon  the  resignation  of  Mrs.  Clason,  Mrs.  E.  D.  Whitlock 
was  chosen  to  the  office,  serving  until  1896,  when,  on  account  of 
ill-health,  she  reluctantly  relinquished  the  work,  and  Mrs.  W.  O. 
Semans  was  elected  to  the  place. 

During  Mrs.  Semans's  term  of  office  the  work  of  the  society 
made  steady  advance,  being  strengthened  each  year  numerically 
and  financially,  and  when,  in  1906,  after  ten  years  of  faithful 
service,  she  had  to  give  up  the  charge,  it  was  to  the  great  regret 
of  all.  Like  Mrs.  Clason,  after  a  few  years  of  rest  she  was  called 
to  a  higher  service  above,  and  will  be  remembered  here  by  a  multi- 
tude of  friends. 

Mrs.  P.  C.  Dukes,  of  Findlay,  succeeded  Mrs.  Semans,  and  has 
given  seven  years  of  efficient  service. 

For  thirty-five  years  in  the  history  of  the  Branch  the  Conference 
secretary  served  also  as  Conference  treasurer.  But  the  burden 
became  too  heavy  for  one,  and  in  1910  the  office  of  Conference 
treasurer  was  created,  and  Mrs.  LeClare  Dukes,  of  Findlay,  was 
elected  to  the  place,  faithfully  discharging  the  duties  of  the  office 
for  two  years,  when  she  was  succeeded  by  Mrs.  C.  F.  Latchow, 
also  of  Findlay. 

Early  in  the  history  of  the  society  the  young  womanhood  of 
the  Church  became  interested,  and  also  the  children.  At  the  meet- 
ing of  the  General  Executive  Committee  held  in  Columbus  in  the 
spring  of  1880  action  was  taken  providing  for  the  Young  Woman's 
Society,  and  also  for  Children's  Bands,  although  prior  to  this  sev- 
eral young  women's  societies  had  existed — one  at  Monnett  Hall, 
Delaware,  and  one  at  Wesleyan  College,  Cincinnati.  These,  how- 
ever, were  organized  as  auxiliaries  and  not  as  provided  for  later 
in  the  constitution  of  the  Young  Woman's  Society.  There  were 
also  a  number  of  Children's  Bands  before  being  voted  as  such.  One 
of  these  came  within  my  recollection.  Under  the  supervision  of 


W.  F.  M.  S.  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference.         103 

Mrs.  Dr.  McCabe,  two  little  girls  at  William  Street,  Delaware — 
Kitty  McCabe  and  Mary  Semans — "organized,"  calling  themselves 
the  "Kitty-Mary  Society."  They  were  enthusiastic  in  their  work, 
holding  formal  monthly  meetings,  carrying  out  regular  programs, 
and  reading  such  literature  as  "The  Life  of  Mrs.  Ann  Judson." 

They  sent  their  mite  each  quarter,  along  with  that  of  the  great 
host  of  older  folk,  receiving  encomiums  of  admiration  and  praise. 
These  girls  in  later  years  have  filled  parsonage  homes  with  great 
honor,  Kitty  McCabe  as  the  wife  of  Dr.  A.  M.  Courtenay,  of  the 
Ohio  Conference,  and  Mary  Semans  in  an  Episcopal  rectory,  as 
the  wife  of  Dr.  Philip  Phillips,  Jr.  No  doubt  they  have  reaped 
abundant  fruit  from  the  good  seed  so  early  sown. 

Under  the  supervision  of  Mrs.  C.  R.  Havighurst,  the  work  of 
the  young  people  of  the  Conference  made  steady  advance.  Mrs. 
Havighurst  was  the  first  elected  Conference  superintendent  of  this 
work,  and  served  from  1908  to  1911,  when  she  was  elected  to  the 
Branch  secretaryship  of  Children's  Work. 

Mrs.  F.  W.  Stanton  was  then  made  secretary  of  Young  People's 
Work,  and  for  two  years  energetically  and  efficiently  looked  after 
its  interests,  when,  by  reason  of  her  husband's  ill-health,  necessi- 
tating a  change  of  climate,  she  went  to  the  far  West,  and  another 
took  her  place. 

The  literature  of  the  society  has  been  a  large  factor  in  the 
advancement  of  the  work.  The  Woman's  Missionary  Friend — in 
the  early  history  of  the  society  called  The  Heathen  Woman's  Friend 
— is  co-existent  with  the  society,  and  has  been  self-supporting  from 
its  beginning.  The  Junior  Missionary  Friend  has  done  for  the 
children  what  the  Woman's  Missionary  Friend  has  done  for  the 
women. 

Such  text-books  as  "Via  Christi,"  "China's  New  Day,"  "The 
Young  China  Hunters"  (by  Dr.  Bean),  "Christ  the  Light  of  the 
World"  (by  Robert  Speer),  with  other  good  works,  have  served 
to  disseminate  missionary  information  and  to  stimulate  to  action 
the  women  of  the  Church. 

The  Thank-offering  each  year  has  been  devoted  to  some  special 
object  in  the  foreign  field — some  memorial  building,  school,  or 
college  most  needing  help. 

In  the  brief  space  allotted  for  this  brief  history  it  will  be  im- 
possible to  record  all  that  has  been  accomplished  by  the  Woman's 


104  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

Foreign  Missionary  Society  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference  through 
all  these  years  of  missionary  activity.  The  greatest  compliment 
to  the  work  is  the  steady,  even-going  advance  it  has  made  and  the 
great  results  which  have  crowned  efficient  labors. 

By  reference  to  the  Cincinnati  Branch  Annual  of  1911-12,  we 
find  the  Conference  supporting  thirty-four  Bible  women,  seventy- 
five  scholarships,  three  evangelistic  teachers,  two  nurses  in  train- 
ing, and  one  hospital  bed.  It  is  contributing  toward  the  itineraries 
of  missionaries,  towards  day  schools,  village  schools,  training  schools, 
taxes  and  rent.  It  is  supporting  five  missionaries  in  the  field, 
Bellefontaine  District  paying  the  salary  of  Miss  Lulu  Frey,  Seoul, 
Korea;  Defiance  District,  that  of  Dr.  Emma  Ernsberger,  Seoul, 
Korea;  Findlay  District,  Miss  Luella  Anderson,  Kuala  Lampur, 
Malaysia;  Lima  District,  Miss  Mariana  Young,  Nagasaki,  Japan, 
and  Toledo  District,  that  of  Dr.  Loal  Hoffman,  North  India. 

Thirteen  missionaries  have  gone  to  the  field  from  this  Confer- 
ence. Of  these  missionaries  Mrs.  R.  L.  Thomas,  the  present  Branch 
secretary,  writes:  "Central  Ohio  Conference  has  some  very  fine 
workers  in  the  field,  among  whom  is  Mariana  Young,  principal  of 
our  great  college  at  Nagasaki,  Japan.  Luella  Anderson,  who 
began  and  developed  the  wonderful  music  department  of  our 
Kuala  Lampur  school,  is  another  of  our  good  missionaries.  Miss 
Grace  Davis  is  at  the  head  of  the  high  school  in  Lucknow,  India, 
and  is  doing  fine  work  there.  Miss  Elizabeth  Rexroth  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  school  work  in  Lucknow,  and  Miss  Grace  McClurg 
to  Hinghua,  China,  in  1912." 

Of  Dr.  Julia  Donahue,  Mrs.  Thomas  says:  "Miss  Donahue 
did  magnificent  work.  She  was  in  Foochow  during  the  awful 
plague,  and  broke  down  the  second  year.  She  worked  day  after 
day  in  that  awful  time,  and  won  the  love  of  all  by  her  self-sacrificing 
life.  She  was  not  able  to  return  to  the  field,  and  is  practicing 
medicine  in  Burlington,  Iowa." 

Dr.  Edwards,  of  Toledo,  was  another  good  missionary  of  the 
Central  Ohio  Conference.  She  organized  and  established  the 
Training  School  for  Nurses  at  our  Seoul  Hospital,  and  did  a  won- 
derful work.  The  first  graduating  class  was  under  her  supervision. 
In  1908,  at  the  end  of  her  first  term  of  service,  she  was  married 
to  the  Rev.  Wm.  Butler  Harrison,  of  the  Presbyterian  mission  in 
Korea. 


W.  F.  M.  S.  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference.         105 

Dr.  Mary  L.  Button,  of  Lima,  has  also  gone  out  within  the 
last  five  years,  and  is  at  Basim,  India.  She  found  the  people 
much  interested  in  the  prospect  of  having  a  lady  physician  amongst 
them,  and  the  work  is  opening  up  marvelously. 

Dr.  Musser,  the  district  superintendent,  writes,  "From  the  day 
it  became  known  that  a  lady  doctor  was  to  come,  the  poor,  secluded 
women  of  all  castes,  but  mostly  the  high-caste  Purdah  ladies,  have 
been  eagerly  watching  and  sending  for  Mrs.  Dutton." 

Another  of  the  good  missionaries  of  Central  Ohio  Conference 
is  Dr.  Mary  Ketring.  After  having  felt  a  call  to  service  in  the 
foreign  mission  field  from  her  earliest  recollection,  she  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  Girls'  Boarding  School  in  Peking,  China,  early  in 
February,  1888.  Resigning  her  position  in  the  public  schools  in 
Napoleon,  Ohio,  she  left  almost  immediately  for  the  field,  in  com- 
pany with  Rev.  H.  H.  Lowry,  D.  D.,  and  his  wife,  who  were  re- 
turning from  furlough.  This  school  is  the  historic  one  founded 
by  Miss  Mary  Q.  Porter  and  her  colleague,  Miss  Maria  Brown, 
now  known  as  the  Mary  Porter  Gamewell  School,  in  charge  of 
Mrs.  Charlotte  M.  Jewell.  Miss  Ketring  labored  there  for  four 
years,  then  was  appointed  to  the  principalship  of  the  Woman's 
Training  School  in  Tsunhua,  one  hundred  miles  east  of  Peking. 
She  did  also  the  city  evangelistic  work,  and  superintended  the 
evangelistic  work  on  three  districts,  traveling  in  a  cart  drawn  by 
a  mule,  instead  of  going  by  train.  These  itinerating  trips  lasted 
from  one  to  four  or  even  six  weeks,  many  of  the  visits  being  to 
villages  and  towns  which  had  never  before  been  visited  by  a  white 
woman.  On  these  trips  she  never  saw  a  white  face  or  spoke  a  word 
of  English.  The  work  was  a  blessed  one  and  the  Holy  Spirit 
wrought  great  things.  After  nearly  two  years  of  this  work,  she 
came  home  on  furlough.  Her  health  not  improving  sufficiently  to 
return  to  the  field  at  the  usual  time,  she  took  up  the  study  of 
medicine,  having  faith  that  by  the  time  the  course  was  completed 
she  would  be  able  to  return  to  the  field,  and  according  to  her  faith 
it  was  unto  her.  But  the  hospitals  in  North  China  being  at  that 
time  supplied  with  women  physicians,  she  was  sent  to  Chungking, 
West  China,  to  open  a  medical  work  and  build  a  hospital  for  women 
and  children,  the  funds  for  the  land  and  building  having  been  given 
by  Mrs.  Wm.  A.  Gamble,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  for  a  memorial  to 
her  husband.  In  1899,  having  obtained  her  diploma  from  the 


106  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

Woman's  Medical  College  of  the  New  York  Institute  for  Women 
and  Children  in  New  York  City,  and  having  done  some  important 
post-graduate  work,  she  left  for  Chungking,  two  thousand  miles 
inland.  The  hospital  was  begun  at  once.  Dr.  Ketring's  previous 
knowledge  of  the  language  at  Peking  enabled  her  to  at  once  open 
medical  work  in  a  ward  and  dispensary  kindly  offered  her  by  the 
General  Board  Hospital.  A  successful  operation  upon  an  enormous 
tumor,  and  another,  restoring  sight  to  an  influential  old  lady  after 
years  of  total  blindness  from  cataract,  gave  the  people  an  almost 
superstitious  confidence  in  foreign  women  physicians.  At  the  time 
of  the  Boxer  troubles  all  missionaries  were  ordered  by  the  United 
States  Government  to  go  to  Shanghai  for  safety.  While  away  from 
her  work,  the  doctor  was  called  to  America  to  her  mother's  as- 
sistance. But  in  1905  the  way  opened  for  her  return  to  Chungking, 
and  she  went  with  great  rejoicing  to  her  beloved  work.  She  found 
the  hospital,  which  had  seemed  a  large  building  in  the  beginning, 
filled  to  overflowing  and  patients  being  turned  away  for  want  of 
room,  with  a  daily  attendance  of  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  at  the  dispensary.  The  lame,  the  halt,  the  blind,  the 
suffering  gather  from  far  and  near,  and  a  constant  stream  of  healing 
of  body,  mind,  and  spirit  flows  forth  from  the  hospital  court. 
After  five  years  and  doing  almost  an  incredible  amount  of  work,  the 
doctor's  health  made  another  furlough  necessary,  and  she  is  now  at 
home,  praying  for  the  time  when  her  return  will  be  possible. 

The  Bellefontaine  Church  esteems  it  a  rare  privilege  to  have 
sent  two  missionaries  to  the  field,  Dr.  Belle  J.  Allen  and  Miss  Lulu 
Frey.  Both  of  these  young  women  came  to  Bellefontaine  in  their 
childhood  days,  and  both  received  their  early  education  from  the 
public  schools  at  that  city.  Both  are  graduates  of  the  Ohio  Wesleyan 
University,  Miss  Allen  of  the  class  of  1883  and  Miss  Frey  of  1892. 
Both  were  members  of  the  Bellefontaine  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  and  were  among  the  most  faithful  of  the  flock.  Each  heard 
and  heeded  the  call  of  the  Spirit  to  the  missionary  field. 

Miss  Allen  graduated  from  the  Chicago  Training  School  in 
1888.  The  same  year  she  was  accepted  by  the  Woman's  Foreign 
Missionary  Society  and  sent  by  the  Cincinnati  Branch  to  Japan, 
where  she  served  ten  years  in  educational  and  evangelistic  work, 
being  stationed  at  Fukuoka,  Nagasaki,  Tokyo,  Gonezawa,  and  Sen- 
dai.  In  1898  she  met  with  a  verv  serious  accident  in  Yokohama 


W.  F.  M.  S.  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference.         107 

Harbor,  which  necessitated  her  return  to  America  a  few  months 
later.  This  was  her  first  furlough  in  ten  years.  While  endeavoring 
to  regain  her  health  she  took  a  medical  course,  graduating  from 
the  Boston  University  School  of  Medicine  in  1904.  She  served 
as  interne  in  a  hospital  in  Boston  one  year,  and  took  a  post-graduate 
medical  course  in  Vienna.  She  fondly  hoped  all  this  time  to  return 
to  her  loved  Japan  for  work,  when  able  to  take  it  up.  But  the 
Mrs.  William  Butler  Memorial  Hospital  being  made  possible 
through  the  gifts  of  friends,  she  was  sent  by  the  New  England 
Branch  to  Baroda,  where  she  took  charge  of  the  construction  of 
this  building  and  organized  a  most  important  work  which,  in  its 
ministry  to  women  and  children,  reached  from  villages  of  the  out- 
casts to  the  palace. 

Miss  Frey,  after  finishing  her  work  at  Delaware,  took  a  special 
course  at  the  Moody  Institute,  graduating  from  there  in  1893.  Im- 
mediately following  she  was  accepted  by  the  Woman's  Foreign 
Missionary  Society  and  sent  by  the  Cincinnati  Branch  to  Korea, 
where  she  has  served  the  Scout  Girls'  School  continuously  from 
that  time  to  the  present,  with  the  exception  of  three  furloughs — 
one  in  1899,  one  in  1905-1906,  and,  following  a  critical  major 
operation  in  the  Seoul  Hospital  in  1912,  she  was  given  a  year's 
rest  at  home. 

Miss  Frey  has  worked  with  an  end  in  view  and  now,  with  her 
co-laborers,  after  twenty  years  of  faithful  service,  reports  "our 
plans  approaching  realization." 

The  work  of  the  Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society  of  the 
Central  Ohio  Conference  has  stood  the  test  and  bears  the  approval 
of  the  whole  Church.  And,  like  the  rainbow,  which  gives  promise 
of  a  fair  to-morrow,  the  uniting  of  the  forces  of  the  Central  Ohio 
and  the  Cincinnati  Conferences  into  the  West  Ohio  Conference 
bespeaks  a  triumphant  future  in  the  great  work  of  the  evangeliza- 
tion of  tie  world. 


X. 


Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society 

OF  THE  CENTRAL  OHIO  CONFERENCE. 
BY  MRS.  DELIA  L.  WILLIAMS. 

THE  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  was  organized  in  Cincinnati,  in  June,  1880,  by  the 
adoption  of  a  constitution  and  by-laws  providing  that  the  general 

organization    should    consist 

of  co-operating  Annual  Con- 
ference Home  Missionary 
organizations  in  the  Annual 
Conferences  of  the  Church. 
Each  Conference  Society 
was  to  have  its  own  officers 
and  methods  of  work  as  far 
as  consistent  with  the  gen- 
eral interests  of  the  whole. 
All  these  Conference  organi- 
zations were  to  report  to  the 
General  Board  of  Managers, 
consisting  of  a  Board  of 
Trustees  and  two  repre- 
sentatives from  each  Con- 
ference. 
MRS.  DELIA  LATHROP  WILLIAMS.  AU  moneys  raised  for 

Home  Missionary  purposes  were  to  be  passed  to  the  treasurer  of 
the  society,  elected  by  this  Board  of  Managers,  which  Board  was 
also  charged  with  the  duty  of  appropriating  and  expending  the 
funds. 

The  Central  Ohio  Conference  was  one  of  the  first  to  be  or- 
ganized under  this  constitution.  A  tentative  organization  was  made 
at  Lakeside,  Ohio,  in  the  summer  of  1881,  and  the  organization 
was  completed  during  the  session  of  the  Annual  Conference  held 
at  Marion,  Ohio,  the  following  September. 

108 


W.  H.  M.  S.  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference.        109 

Mrs.  Leroy  A.  Belt  was  the  first  president,  Mrs.  F.  V.  Chapman 
was  the  first  recording  secretary,  and  Mrs.  W.  G.  Williams  the 
first  corresponding  secretary  and  treasurer.  Among  the  earliest 
charges  organized  in  the  Conference  for  Home  Missionary  work 
were  Fremont,  Bowling  Green,  Defiance,  Marion,  and  William 
Street,  Delaware. 

The  following  are  the  names  of  the  women  who  have  served 
the  Conference  society  in  the  offices  indicated  from  its  organization, 
August,  1881,  until  its  union  with  that  of  the  Cincinnati  Conference 
at  Xenia,  Ohio,  June  23,  1913,  when  the  united  societies  took  the 
name  of  "The  West  Ohio  Conference  Woman's  Home  Missionary 
Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church:" 

Presidents — Mrs.  L.  A.  Belt,  Mrs.  D.  R.  Cook,  Mrs.  Samuel 
Miller,  Mrs.  M.  E.  Case,  Mrs.  Ed  Squire,  Mrs.  W.  H.  Scoles,  Mrs. 
W.  W.  Winter,  Mrs.  W.  H.  C.  Goode. 

Corresponding  Secretaries — Mrs.  W.  G.  Williams,  Mrs.  Ed. 
Squire,  Mrs.  M.  H.  Davis,  Mrs.  D.  M.  Bailey. 

Treasurers — Mrs.  W.  G.  Williams,  Mrs.  J.  M.  Avann,  Mrs. 
D.  G.  Strong,  Mrs.  Daniel  Stecker,  Mrs.  W.  H.  C.  Goode,  Mrs. 
Frank  J.  Halliday,  Mrs.  John  H.  Freeman. 

FINANCES. 

The  Central  Ohio  Conference  has  been,  from  its  organization 
to  the  present,  one  of  the  most  reliable  Conferences  financially  of 
the  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society.  It  has  had  the  self- 
denying  and  enthusiastic  support  of  a  strong  body  of  intelligent 
women,  and  the  unreserved  co-operation  of  the  pastors  and  their 
wives.  Many  of  the  latter  have  been  its  most  intelligent,  conse- 
crated, and  valued  officers. 

The  accompanying  table  will  indicate  its  growth  in  membership 
and  contributions  in  ten-year  periods: 

Auxiliary.    Young  People.      Children.    Contributions. 

1882-1892    1,113  145  320  $18,28679 

1892-1902    2,260  198  412  32,69444 

1902-1912   3,739  940  711  84,24822 

1912-1913  (one  year) 3,805  1,007  868  10,05000 

Early  in  the  history  of  the  society  a  provision  was  made  for 
district  associations,  and  very  soon  thereafter  the  six  districts  of 


HO  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

the  Conference  were  organized  with  the  appropriate  officers.  These 
associations  have  grown  in  importance  as  a  community  link  between 
the  auxiliary  society  in  each  pastoral  charge  and  Conference  or- 
ganization. The  districts  now  number  members  as  follows,  and  each 
paid  the  amount  affixed  for  the  year  1912-1913: 

District.  Members.          Amount. 

Bellefontaine    555  $1,355   60 

Defiance   358  696  76 

Delaware    989  2,1 10  45 

Findlay     625  1,552  07 

Lima 713  1,410  27 

Toledo    565  1,439   50 

Conference  collections    114   82 


3,805       $8,679  47 

SPECIAL  GIFTS. 

As  the  years  have  passed  the  Conference  Woman's  Home  Mis- 
sionary Society  has  been  generously  remembered  by  a  large  number 
of  donors.  Some  of  these  gifts  have  been  made  to  enterprises  in 
special  localities,  and  the  Conference  society  has  come  to  feel  a 
deep  interest  in  these  enterprises. 

As  early  as  1883  Mrs.  Judge  J.  D.  Cory,  of  Findlay,  Ohio, 
gave  $500,  to  which  she  added  subsequent  gifts,  to  build  a  chapel 
at  Mt.  Pleasant,  Utah.  This  was  called  Thompson  Chapel,  for 
Mrs.  Cory's  sister,  Mrs.  Abram  Thompson,  of  Delaware,  Ohio. 

In  1884  Mrs.  L.  B.  Gurley,  of  Delaware,  Ohio,  gave  $500  for 
the  building  of  a  teachers'  home  at  Moroni,  Utah,  which  was  called 
Gurley  Teachers'  Home. 

Mrs.  "Lizzie  A.  Copp,  of  Richwood,  Ohio,  has  generously  re- 
membered the  society  by  annuity  gifts.  These  have  amounted  to 
$3,000.  They  have  been  made  in  favor  of  the  Spanish-American 
and  Alaskan  work  of  the  society. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Ritter,  of  Napoleon,  Ohio,  gave  the  first  $1,000, 
in  September,  1886,  for  the  building  at  Athens,  Tennessee,  of  the 
Elizabeth  Ritter  Home  for  White  Girls,  and  for  this  gift  she  has 
the  honor  of  its  name.  In  1899  a  bequest  to  the  same  school  was 
received  from  Mrs.  Ann  E.  Jones,  of  Delaware,  Ohio,  given  in 
memory  of  her  son,  John  Wesley  Jones,  which  netted  $1,047. 


W.  H.  M.  S.  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference.         Ill 

In  1906  Mrs.  Lucinda  Frazer  Horr,  of  Sidney,  Ohio,  made  a 
gift  of  $6,500,  other  members  of  the  family  adding  enough  to  make 
the  sum  nearly  $7,000.  This  sum  was  used  in  building  a  fine 
annex  to  the  Home,  almost  doubling  its  capacity.  For  this  gift 
the  new  building  took  the  name  of  Caroline  C.  Frazer  Hall,  in 
memory  of  Mrs.  Horr's  mother.  Later  still,  Miss  Emma  Strayer, 
of  DeGraff,  Ohio,  made  a  gift  of  $1,000  in  memory  of  her  mother, 
and  a  large  number  of  smaller  gifts,  from  $50  to  $100,  have  been 
contributed  to  this  Home  by  members  of  the  Central  Ohio  Con- 
ference. Mrs.  F.  V.  Chapman,  of  Toledo,  Ohio,  was  its  superin- 
tendent from  its  beginning,  September,  1891,  till  October,  1911, 
when  she  was  suddenly  called  to  her  reward.  For  many  years 
previous  to  her  death  the  Conference  honored  itself  and  her  by 
paying  her  salary.  Elizabeth  Ritter  Home  has  been  one  of  the 
most  influential  and  honored  of  the  Home  schools  of  the  Woman's 
Home  Missionary  Society,  and  is  especially  endeared  to  the  women 
of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

Another  Home  in  which  the  Conference  has  had  a  special  in- 
terest is  the  King  Home  for  colored  girls  at  Marshall,  Texas.  This 
Home,  affiliated  with  Wiley  University,  under  the  care  of  the 
Freedmen's  Aid  Society,  was  named  for  the  gift  by  bequest  of 
Mrs.  Jane  King,  of  Norton,  Ohio,  which  netted  the  society  $2,285. 
This  is  one  of  our  largest  colored  Home  schools  in  the  South,  and 
has  deserved  the  care  and  contributions  of  the  Conference. 

OFFICIAL  RECOGNITION. 

The  Central  Ohio  Conference  Woman's  Home  Missionary  So- 
ciety has  been  especially  honored  with  official  recognition  upon  the 
Board  of  Management.  The  first  president  of  the  society  was 
Mrs.  R.  B.  Hayes,  who  served  from  the  organization  till  October, 
1899.  Mrs.  J.  W.  Mendenhall,  of  Delaware,  Ohio,  was  the  general 
treasurer  from  1894,  for  two  years,  and  was  succeeded  by  Mrs. 
W.  G.  Williams,  of  Delaware,  in  1896.  She  served  until  1899, 
when  she  became  general  corresponding  secretary,  which  office  she 
now  holds.  Mrs.  Lewis  M.  Albright,  of  Delaware,  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Trustees  in  1895,  which  position  she  still  holds. 
She  has  also  been  since  1889  secretary  of  one  of  the  most  important 
bureaus  of  the  society. 


112  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


Mrs.  L.  D.  McCabe,  of  Delaware,  was  chosen  in  1883  as  the 
first  editor  of  the  organ  of  the  society,  Woman's  Home  Missions, 
which  office  she  held  until  her  resignation  in  1901.  Mrs.  Abram 
Thompson,  of  Delaware,  was  her  associate  as  publisher,  and  upon 
her  resignation  she  was  succeeded  by  Mary  Belle  Evans,  also  of 
Delaware,  who  still  serves  as  publisher. 

Mrs.  E.  Y.  King,  of  Richwood  Ohio,  was  made  by  the  Board 
of  Managers  in  October,  1908,  secretary  of  the  Bureau  of  Supplies, 
which  place  she  still  holds. 

These  favors  have  been  somewhat  due  to  the  proximity  of  the 
Central  Ohio  Conference  to  Cincinnati,  the  headquarters  of  the 
Society. 

After  thirty-two  years  of  harmonious  co-operation,  the  Con- 
ference Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society  became  a  component 
part  of  a  larger  and  more  effective  Conference  society,  with  all 
the  women  of  the  Conference  determined  that  their  end  of  the 
widely  extended  scales  should  show  no  light  weight  of  service  or 
self-sacrifice.  They  joyfully  accepted  their  share  of  the  new  re- 
sponsibilities, and  humbly  but  confidently  joined  ranks  with  the. 
women  of  the  Cincinnati  Conference  to  help  to  bring  in  a  reign  of 
righteousness  all  over  the  earth. 


XI. 

Benevolent  and  Philanthropic  Interests. 

AT  the  time  the  Central  Ohio  Conference  was  organized  there  were 
no  extensive  missionary  societies.  The  Church  had  scarcely  any 
great  dream  of  world-wide  missions,  no  luring  visions  of  far-away 
lands. 

Mission  territory  was  confined  chiefly  to  the  home  field,  and 
that,  too,  at  a  time  in  the  history  of  the  country  when  the  floods 
of  immigration  were  not  pouring  in  upon  our  shores  every  year 
as  they  are  at  present.  As  the  country  in  the  Middle  West,  and 
later,  farther  on  towards  the  setting  sun,  began  to  fill  up  with 
emigrants  from  the  Eastern  States,  and  to  increase  with  the  sons 
and  daughters  of  established  homes  and  communities,  there  arose 
the  necessity  for  extending  Christian  sympathy  and  help  to  those 
who  had  not  been  reached  by  the  agencies  of  the  gospel,  so  that 
very  much  of  the  effort  put  forth  and  the  money  given  for  mis- 
sionary endeavor  was  directed  towards  settlements  and  neighbor- 
hoods among  which  the  itinerant  had  not  appeared  and  the  Church 
had  not  been  planted. 

The  Parent  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  as  it  was  then  called, 
was  the  chief  and  almost  the  only  organization  or  agency  for  the 
collection  and  distribution  of  money  for  the  spread  of  the  gospel 
and  the  extension  of  the  Church. 

The  word  "foreign"  was  really  a  misnomer,  for  the  missions 
formed  and  the  fields  to  be  cultivated  apart  from  the  population 
were  chiefly  those  known  as  Indian  missions. 

The  Central  Ohio  Conference  of  1857  reported  between  $3,500 
and  $4,000  for  missionary  work,  and  this  sum  was  applied  chiefly 
to  objects  within  the  Conference  itself — in  aid  of  individual 
Churches  and  among  the  Indians  within  its  borders. 

Methodism  threescore  years  ago  was  necessarily   rural  in  the 
fields  cultivated  and  in  the  work  it  did.     The  call  of  Home  Missions 
had  not  been  raised;  and,  indeed,  in  the  sense  in  which  the  phrase 
is  used  to-day,  there  were  no  conditions  to  evoke  it. 
8  113 


114  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

The  State  of  Ohio  in  the  year  1856  contained  a  population  a 
little  below  2,000,000;  to-day  the  population  is  considerably  above 
4,000,000. 

The  largest  city  in  the  State  at  that  time  was  Cincinnati,  with 
a  population  of  1 1 0,000 ;  the  next  was  Cleveland,  with  a  population 
of  about  70,000;  then  came  Columbus,  having  about  25,000;  then 
Toledo,  numbering  about  15,000,  and  Dayton,  with  a  population 
of  15,000. 

The  population  of  Cincinnati  to-day  is  360,000;  of  Cleveland, 
650,000,  Columbus,  200,000;  Toledo,  200,000;  Dayton,  100,000; 
while  throughout  the  State  there  are  numerous  towns  and  smaller 
cities  ranging  in  population  from  5,000  to  60,000  and  over. 

The  Conference  during  the  history  it  has  been  making  has  not 
been  unheedful  of  the  larger  demands  made  upon  the  Church  by 
the  multitudes  at  home  and  the  millions  across  the  seas;  and,  true 
to  the  spirit  of  Methodism  to  accept  immediately  and  aggressively 
any  new  and  larger  opportunity  and  wider  door  for  the  exercise 
of  her  experience  and  energies,  the  Conference  has  heard  the  call 
and  caught  the  inspiration  coming  up  from  the  promiscuous  classes 
to  share  in  the  blessed  work  of  carrying  the  gospel  to  the  unchris- 
tianized  masses  not  only  in  the  cities  of  our  country,  but  to  the 
nations  far  away. 

The  record  the  Conference  has  made  in  missionary  benevo- 
lences, while  by  no  means  all  it  might  have  been,  is  worthy  at 
least  of  general  mention.  In  some  considerable  degree,  if  not  in 
the  way  of  initiative,  much  of  the  thought  and  spirit  now  active 
in  the  cause  of  missions  is  due  to  two  members  of  the  Central 
Ohio  Conference,  who  in  the  early  years  of  its  history  gave  study 
and  consideration  not  only  to  the  subject  itself,  but  to  plans  and 
methods  whereby  missions  at  home  and  abroad  might  result  more 
notably  in  the  extension  of  God's  Kingdom.  These  men  were 
Bishop  Harris  and  the  Rev.  Thomas  Parker. 

In  Conference  gatherings  and  in  pulpit  discourse  Thomas 
Parker  was  effectively  heard  on  the  subject  of  missionary  propa- 
ganda, and  while  he  did  not  live  to  see  his  ideals  realized,  he  was 
able  so  to  arouse  the  thought  of  the  Church  on  the  stupendous 
work  of  reaching  all  races  with  the  gospel  as  to  leave  behind  him 
a  train  of  teaching  and  impression  that  to-day  are  making  their 
force  felt  in  the  evangelization  of  the  world.  Dr.  Harris,  while  a 


Benevolent  and  Philanthropic  Interests.  115 

member  of  the  Conference.,  coupled  his  practical  and  executive  tal- 
ents with  the  inspiration  and  influence  of  his  co-minister,  therebv 
awakening  a  zeal  in  the  Church  for  missionary  activity  which  after- 
wards as  missionary  secretary  he  formulated  into  some  better  plan 
and  system  than  the  Church  had  known  for  the  prosecution  of  the 
command  of  the  Savior. 

The  contributions  of  the  Conference  to  missions  have  steadily 
increased  through  all  the  years  of  the  past. 

And  when  other  benevolent  organizations  of  the  Church  were 
formed,  as  the  Church  Extension  and  the  Freedmen's  Aid  Societies, 
the  Board  of  Education  and  the  Board  of  Sunday  Schools,  etc.,  the 
Conference  caught  step  with  the  marching  column  in  the  campaign 
of  a  broader  service  for  humanity. 

In  the  year  1857  the  Conference  gave  $3,450  to  missions.  In 
the  year  1870,  for  missions,  $13,000;  for  Church  Extension,  $1,000; 
for  Freedmen's  Aid  Society,  $1,100;  for  education,  $150;  to  the 
Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  $1,000. 

In  the  year  1880,  for  missions,  $10,688;  for  Church  Extension, 
$923;  for  Freedmen's  Aid  Society,  $770;  for  Education,  $60;  for 
Sunday  School  Union,  $150;  to  Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  So- 
ciety, $1,075. 

In  the  year  1890,  for  missions,  $18,900;  for  Church  Extension, 
$1,900;  for  Freedmen's  Aid  Society,  $1,190;  for  education,  $407; 
for  Sunday  School  Union,  $262 ;  for  Woman's  Foreign  Missionary 
Society,  $3,700;  for  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society,  $2,000. 

In  the  year  1900,  for  missions,  $22,500;  for  Church  Extension, 
$1,270:  for  Freedmen's  Aid  Society,  $1,656;  for  Educational  So- 
ciety, $337;  for  Children's  Day,  $811;  for  Woman's  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Society,  $8,788;  for  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society, 
$3,100. 

In  the  year  1912,  for  missions,  $42,690;  for  Board  of  Educa- 
tion, $1,857;  for  Board  of  Sunday  Schools,  $1,136;  for  Freedmen's 
Aid  Society,  $1,841;  for  Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society, 
$11,000;  for  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society,  $9,900;  for 
Flower  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital,  $3,330. 

These  figures,  while  they  show  a  steady  advance  in  the  amounts 
contributed  to  these  great  and  worthy  causes,  are  by  no  means  an 
indication  or  measure  of  the  ability  or  resources  of  the  Churches 
represented. 


Il6  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

The  Central  Ohio  Conference,  embraced  a  large  section  of  the 
best  farming  territory  in  the  State,  and  included  within  its  bounds 
several  prosperous  cities  and  many  thriving  towns ;  and  besides, 
large  portions  of  this  territory  are  rich  in  the  output  of  oil  and  gas, 
so  that  if  the  ability  of  the  Churches  to  give  were  called  into  com- 
mand and  exercised,  the  sums  contributed  to  benevolence  would 
exceed  in  manifold  measure  the  largest  amounts  given. 

However,  it  is  cause  for  congratulation  that  in  the  recent  years 
there  has  come  upon  the  Church  the  inspiration  to  undertake  greater 
things  for  the  founding  and  equipment  of  missions  in  all  parts  of 
the  globe. 

The  laity  of  the  Church,  as  they  have  been  brought  into  closer 
and  more  responsible  relations  with  Methodism  and  its  organiza- 
tions, have  come  to  realize,  very  many  of  them,  that  better  circum- 
stances and  greater  prosperity  in  the  various  vocations  of  life 
impose  upon  them  the  higher  obligation-  of  promoting  in  vastly 
increased  degree  the  claims  of  Christianity. 

The  forward  movements  of  the  Church  in  evangelism,  in  mis- 
sions, in  education,  in  philanthropy,  and  for  the  Christianizing  of 
the  present  social  order,  which  very  many  laymen,  prominent  in 
business  and  active  in  the  Church,  have  taken  upon  their  consciences 
and  hearts,  are  a  glorious  prophecy  and  a  splendid  promise  that 
an  early  future  is  to  witness  marvelous  strides  towards  the  goal 
of  Christianity,  even  the  salvation  of  the  world. 

"  We  give  Thee  but  Thine  own, 

Whate'er  the  gift  may  be ; 
All  that  we  have  is  Thine  alone, 
A  trust,  O  Lord,  from  Thee. 

May  we  Thy  bounties  thus 

As  stewards  true  receive, 
And  gladly,  as  Thou  blessest  us, 

To  Thee  our  first  fruits  give. 

And  we  believe  Thy  word, 

Though  dim  our  faith  may  be; 
Whate'er  for  Thine  we  do,  O  Lord, 

We  do  it  unto  Thee." 


XII. 

Flower  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital. 

THE  first  deaconess  work  in  Toledo  was  begun  in  1901  by  Miss 
Ella  Lathrop.  A  Deaconess  Home  was  opened  December  1,  1908, 
in  a  rented  house  on  Glenwood  Avenue,  with  Miss  Bonnie  Ruth 
Warren  as  the  acting  superintendent. 

Through  a  splendid  example  of  deaconess  work,  resulting  in 
the  rescue  of  a  young  woman,  whose  story  greatly  interested  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Stevens  W.  Flower,  who,  having  no  children  of  their  own, 
were  moved  to  consider  the  advisability  of  leaving  their  splendid 
residence  to  be  used  for  a  Deaconess  Home. 


FLOWER  HOSPITAL,  TOLEDO. 

After  the  death  of  Mrs.  Flower,  Mr.  Flower,  who  was  one  of 
the  leading  business  men  of  Toledo,  and  a  member  of  St.  Paul's 
Church,  in  consultation  with  his  life-long  friend,  the  Rev.  Wesley  G. 
Waters,  D.  D.,  who  was  then  district  superintendent  of  the  Toledo 
District,  decided  to  bequeath  his  residence,  with  about  two  acres 
of  land  surrounding  it,  situated  at  the  junction  of  Collingwood 
Avenue  and  Cherry  Street,  Toledo,  and  valued  at  $50,000,  to  the 
Central  Ohio  Conference  for  a  Deaconess  Home  as  a  memorial 
for  his  wife,  Ellen  B.  Flower,  and  as  a  site,  for  a  hospital,  to  be 
known  as  the  "Flower  Hospital,"  with  $10,000  in  cash  towards  a 
fund  to  build  a  hospital,  providing  the  Conference  raised  a  like 
sura  within  eighteen  months  of  his  death. 

117 


n8 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


In  anticipation  of  this  bequest,  an  organization  was  effected 
representing  the  Central  Ohio  Conference  and  the  Woman's  Home 
Missionary  Society  of  the  Conference.  This  organization  was  in- 
corporated under  the  laws  of  Ohio,  September  16,  1907,  as  the 
"Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  located  in  Toledo,  Ohio." 


MR.  STEVENS  W.  FLOWER, 


MRS.  ELLEN  B.  FLOWER, 


Founders  of  Flower  Hospital  and  Ellen  B.  Flower  Deaconess  Home. 

However,  before  the  organization  was  incorporated,  steps  were 
taken  by  its  Board  of  Managers  to  begin  hospital  work.  A  small 
private  hospital  building,  located  on  Robinwood  Avenue,  was  rented 
and  equipped  and  put  into  operation  in  the  autumn  of  1908.  The 
work  was  begun  under  deaconess  supervision,  Miss  Isabelle  C. 
Leitch  being  the  superintendent.  The  institution  was  called  the 
"Deaconess  Hospital." 

Many  discouragements  and  difficulties  were  encountered  in  the 
work,  chiefly  for  lack  of  funds  and  trained  workers.  The  rent  of 
the  building,  the  salaries  of  the  trained  nurses,  and  the  charity 
work  done  made  the  expenses  excessive,  and  soon  the  institution 


Flower  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital. 


was  involved  in  an  embarrassing  debt,  which  darkened  its  hopes 
for  the  future  and  even  threatened  its  existence. 

The  Rev.  E.  O.  Crist,  D.  D.,  was  elected  president  in  October, 
1908,  as  the  successor  of  Dr.  Waters,  whom  he  had  succeeded  as 
district  superintendent  of  Toledo  District.  He,  with  Rev.  W.  McK. 
Brackney,  D.  D.,  vice-president,  and  Rev.  B.  F.  Reading,  D.  D., 
treasurer,  secured  a  loan  that  served  to  meet  the  most  pressing 
obligations  of  the  institution.  An  experienced  deaconess,  a  graduate 
of  the  Nurse  Training  School  of  Christ  Hospital,  Cincinnati,  Miss 


FLOWER  HOSPITAL,  PRESENT  BUILDING. 

Emma  E.  Enders,  was  secured  then  as  superintendent.  Through 
her  work,  with  the  very  efficient  assistance  of  Miss  Alice  Green,  a 
graduate  nurse  deaconess  from  Sibley  Hospital,  Washington,  D.  C., 
as  supervisor  of  nurses,  the  Training  School  for  Nurses  was  opened, 
which  soon  provided  nurses  in  training  who  were  able  to  take  care 
of  the  patients,  thus  greatly  reducing  the  expenses  of  the  hospital. 

In  the  late  autumn  of  1908  Mr.  Stevens  W.  Flower,  after  a 
lingering  illness,  died,  and  when  his  will  was  probated  it  was 
learned  that  he  had  been  more  generous  than  was  anticipated,  for 
he  had  added  a  codicil  providing  for  a  second  gift  of  $10,000, 
making  $20,000  in  cash,  if  the  Conference  raised  in  the  specified 
time  a  like  sum. 

This  generosity  on  his  part  greatly  encouraged  the  friends  of 
the  institution.  His  splendid  residence  was  soon  furnished  and 
occupied  as  a  Deaconess  Home  and  Home  for  Nurses. 


120 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


The  Rev.  A.  E.  Harford,  financial  secretary,  with  the  help  of 
loyal  friends  of  the  institution,  soon  secured  the  first  $10,000. 
Mr.  Edwin  Brown,  of  Carey,  gave  the  larger  part  of  that  sura. 
With  this  and  the  $10,000  paid  by  the  executors  from  the  Flower 
estate,  the  first  building  with  room  for  twenty-five  beds  was  erected, 
which  was  formally  opened  January  19,  1910,  as  the  "Flower  Hos- 
pital," as  provided  in  Mr.  Flower's  will. 

The  second  $10,000  was  secured  in  due  time,  and  the  second 
$10,000  paid  from  the  Flower  estate.  Another  unit  was  added 


SIDNEY  D.  FOSTER,  M.  D., 

Chief  of  Staff. 


M.  M.  STOPHLET, 

Architect. 


to  the  building,  a  splendid  fire-proof  structure,  providing  room 
sufficient  to  enable  the  hospital  to  care  for  some  sixty  patients. 
The  entire  cost  of  this  building  was  about  $35,000.  It  is  the  most 
sanitary,  safe,  and  modern  institution  of  its  kind  in  North- 
western Ohio.  It  was  formally  opened  June  1,  1913,  and  has 
proven  to  be  very  popular,  being  crowded  with  patients  from  the 
beginning. 

The  Rev.  E.  E.  McCammon,  as  general  superintendent,  has, 
during  the  last  three  years,  been  very  successful  in  raising  funds 
to  complete  this  second  building  and  in  getting  the  finances  in  good 
condition. 

Miss  Emma  Enders,  as  superintendent  for  these  five  years  dur- 
ing the  formative  period  of  this  institution,  has  rendered  invaluable 
services.  Another  deaconess,  Miss  Inez  Bates,  after  completing 


Flower  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital.  121 

the  course  of  training  in  the  Training  School  for  Nurses,  has  been 
very  faithful  and  efficient  as  the  supervisor  of  nurses. 

The  Training  School  for  Nurses,  with  its  three  years'  course, 
gives  the  very  best  of  training  to  Christian  young  women  going 
into  that  form  of  service  to  Christ  and  humanity. 

Dr.  S.  D.  Foster,  chief  of  staff,  and  all  the  doctors  of  the  staff, 
working  together  as  loyal  friends  of  the  institution,  have  con- 
tributed very  much  by  their  splendid  services  to  the  success  of 
Flower  Hospital.  The  various  classes  of  nurses  that  have  been 
graduated  are  all  young  women  of  splendid  Christian  character,, 
and  their  success  in  the  care  of  patients,  both  while  in  training  and 
later  in  the  practice  of  their  chosen  profession,  has  contributed 
much  to  the  popularity  of  the  hospital. 

The  children's  ward  with  its  ten  free  beds,  made  possible  by 
the  generosity  of  Miss  L.  H.  Dickelman,  of  Forest,  Ohio,  and  the 
gifts  of  the  Sunday  Schools  and  other  friends,  is  doing  a  splendid 
and  much  needed  work  for  poor,  suffering  children. 

The  hundreds  of  patients  that  have  found  the  helpful,  home- 
like, Christian  atmosphere  of  Flower  Hospital  so  beneficial  to  them 
are  warm  friends  and  ardent  supporters  of  the  institution. 

Toledo  and  Northwestern  Ohio  has  in  the  Flower  Hospital 
what  was  so  much  needed  and  desired — a  distinctly  Christian  hos- 
pital under  Protestant  Church  control. 

The  charter  was  amended  and  the  constitution  revised  in  1913,. 
changing  the  name  of  the  corporation  to  "Flower  Deaconess  Home 
and  Hospital,  located  in  Toledo,  Ohio."  This  institution  is  man- 
aged by  a  Board  of  Trustees,  under  the  direction  of  the  West  Ohio 
Annual  Conference,  which,  together  with  the  Woman's  Home  Mis- 
sionary Society  of  the  Conference,  elects  a  majority  of  the  mem- 
bership of  the  corporation.  The  membership  at  the  annual  meet- 
ing elects  the  Board  of  Trustees.  It  is  provided  that  two-thirds 
of  the  membership  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  must  be  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

There  was  no  Conference  organization  incorporated  which  could 
receive  and  administer  the  bequest  of  Mr.  Flower  at  the  time  his 
will  was  drawn,  and  he  was  advised  to  insert  the  name  of  the  Board 
of  Trustees  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  an  Ohio  corporation 
with  offices  in  the  Book  Concern  Building,  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  This 
was  done;  the  bequest  was  left  to  that  Board  of  Trustees  in  trust 


122  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

for  the  Central  Ohio  Conference.  Thus  it  became  necessary  to 
make  repeated  trips  to  Cincinnati  to  confer  with  that  Board  and 
receive  its  approval  of  plans  and  contracts  in  all  the  work  of  erect- 
ing the  buildings,  which  made  unavoidable  delays  and  expense. 

By  a  resolution  passed  by  the  General  Conference  of  1912, 
which  was  prepared  and  introduced  by  Dr.  E.  O.  Crist,  the  Board 
of  Trustees  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  authorized  and 
directed  to  terminate  this  trust  and  with  due  process  of  law  turn 

the  title  to  the  local  Board 
of  Trustees,  which  was  done 
in  due  time. 

Another  valuable  piece 
of  property,  consisting  of  a 
one-hundred-foot  lot  and  a 
fifteen-room  brick  house,  lo- 
cated on  Superior  Street, 
was  donated  by  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Stevens  W.  Flower  to 
an  organization  formed  by  a 
group  of  Christian  women  in 
the  city,  mostly  of  St.  Paul's 
Church,  chief  among  whom 
was  Mrs.  Mary  Hiett, 
known  as  "Mother  Hiett," 
who  will  long  be  remem- 
bered for  her  beautiful  char- 
acter, expressed  in  a  life  of 
ELLEN  B.  FLOWER  DEACONESS  HOME.  kindly  ministry  to  suffering 

humanity.  This  building  was  used  for  a  rescue  home  for  girls 
for  several  years,  but  through  changes  made  in  the  Board  of 
Managers  by  death  and  removal,  interest  declined  in  the  insti- 
tution and  a  debt  accumulated  upon  it,  endangering  its  existence. 
Under  these  circumstances,  those  in  charge  of  it,  in  a  conference 
with  Dr.  E.  O.  Crist,  expressed  their  fear  for  the  future  of  the 
institution,  and  asked  that  he  assist  them  in  taking  care  of  it.  This 
he  did  for  a  few  years,  when  it  was  thought  best  by  all  interested 
in  the  property  to  transfer  it  to  the  other  strong  and  growing  cor- 
poration, the  Flower  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital,  which  was 
done  in  April,  1911. 


BUILDING  COMMITTEE. 


REV.  ELWOOD  O.  CRIST,  D.  D.  REV-  E- E-  MCCAMMON,  A.  M.,  S.T.B. 


President. 


Secretary  and  Superintendent. 


CAPTAIN  JOHN  CRAIG. 


MR.  W.  H.  H.  REEDER. 


REV.  B.  F.  READING,  D.  D. 


MR.  W.  W.  EDWARDS. 


124  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

Since  that  time  the  Home  has  been  conducted  under  deaconess 
management  as  the  "Flower  Home  for  Girls."  Miss  Mary  A.  Ver- 
milya  became  the  first  deaconess  superintendent.  This  institution 

is  operated  as  a  home  for 
working  girls  whose  wages 
are  too  low  for  them  to  prop- 
erly care  for  themselves  else- 
where ;  and  girls  coming  into 
the  city  as  strangers,  seeking 
employment,  who  are  met  by 
the  Traveler's  Aid  deacon- 
esses and  given  a  temporary 
home  here  until  they  are  en- 
abled to  secure  suitable  em- 
ployment. Thus  a  great 

FLOWER  HOME  FOR  GIRLS.  .  •,  i    f  .      j   j 

many  girls  are  befriended  at 

a  time  of  their  great  need.  A  splendid  work  is  being  done  by 
this  institution. 

At  present  the  Flower  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital  Corpora- 
tion owns  and  operates  these  three  splendid  institutions  in  Toledo: 
The  Ellen  B.  Flower  Deaconess  Home,  3336  Collingwood  Avenue; 
the  Flower  Home  for  Girls,  1324  Superior  Street,  and  the  Flower 
Hospital,  3349  Cherry  Street.  These  institutions  are  a  credit  to 
the  Central  Ohio  Conference  and  its  successor,  the  West  Ohio  An- 
nual Conference,  and  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

The  Building  Committee  consisted  of  the  following  members  of 
the  Board  of  Trustees:  E.  O.  Crist,  chairman;  B.  F.  Reading, 

D.  D.,  secretary-treasurer,  and  his  successor,  E.  E.  McCammon; 
Captain  John  Craig,  W.   H.   H.   Reeder,  W.  W.   Edwards,   with 
M.  M.  Stophlet,  architect. 

The  present  officers  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  are:  Rev.  E.  O. 
Crist,  D.  D.,  president;  Judge  J.  M.  Killits,  vice-president;  Rev. 

E.  E.  McCammon,  A.  M.,  S.  T.  B.,  secretary  and  superintendent; 
Rev.  D.  F.  Helms,  treasurer. 


XIII. 


Lakeside,  Ohio. 


LAKESIDE  had  a  providential  beginning.  The  establishment  of  a 
camp-meeting  on  the  Catawba  Peninsula  was  the  suggestion  of 
Alexander  demons,  a  citizen  of  Marblehead  and  a  member  and  a 
class  leader  in  the  Marblehead  Church. 

For  several  years  Mr.  demons  brought  the  project  of  a  camp- 
meeting  on  the  peninsula  to  the  attention  of  Revs.  E.  C.  Gavitt 
and  LeRoy  A.  Belt,  presiding  elders,  and  also  to  the  consideration 


PAVILION,  LAKESIDE,  OHIO. 

of  the  pastors  of  the  Port  Clinton  Circuit.  The  pastor  to  act  upon 
the  suggestion  of  "Father  demons"  was  the  Rev.  R.  L.  DuVall, 
whose  wife  nobly  supported  her  husband's  efforts  and  helped  to 
awaken  an  interest  in  the  undertaking. 

The  first  formal  action  looking  to  such  an  enterprise  was  by 
the  Port  Clinton  Quarterly  Conference,  in  a  communication  car- 
ried by  the  Rev.  L.  L.  Barter  to  the  Central  Ohio  Conference,  and 
endorsed  by  the  authorities  and  Methodists  of  Marblehead,  to  deed 
thirty  acres  of  land  for  camp-meeting  purposes. 

125 


126 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


The  Conference  accepted  the  offer  and  appointed  Revs.  Joseph 
Ayers,  Daniel  D.  Mather,  Alexander  Harmount,  Isaac  Newton, 
Simeon  H.  Alderman,  LeRoy  A.  Belt,  and  Samuel  Barter  to  handle 
the  proposition.  This  committee  nominated  as  trustees  with  power 
to  act:  Revs.  S.  S.  Barter,  Daniel  D.  Mather,  Joseph  Ayers,  and 
LeRoy  A.  Belt ;  and  Luther  A.  Skidmore,  Patrick  G.  Slevin,  Joseph 
Chambers,  Barney  Jacobs,  S.  R.  Gill,  and  Archibald  Lybrand. 


B.  H.  JACOBS. 


S.  R.  GILL. 


The  Conference  directed  the  trustees  to  become  an  incorporated 
body  with  power  to  own  and  control  the  grounds  and  to  establish 
a  camp-meeting.  The  first  meeting  was  held  on  the  banks  of  the 
blue  Lake  Erie,  in  a  grove,  in  1873. 

The  veteran  preacher  and  presiding  elder,  Rev.  Joseph  Ayers, 
was  chosen  superintendent  of  the  meeting. 

The  Rev.  Harry  O.  Sheldon,  a  pioneer  minister,  then  advanced 
in  years,  preached  the  first  sermon,  under  a  large  oak  tree  which 
stood  near  the  south  end  of  the  present  auditorium.  Among  the 
preachers  present  at  the  first  meeting  were  Revs.  Elvero  Persons, 
E.  Y.  Warner,  and  E.  W.  Warner,  of  the  North  Ohio  Conference, 
who  had  come  in  a  sailboat.  The  services  at  this  meeting  were 
conducted  by  ministers  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference  and  by 
those  present  from  the  North  Ohio  Conference. 

The  spirit  of  the  primitive  camp-meeting  was  noticeably  mani- 
fest and  dominant  in  this  gathering. 


Lakeside,  Ohio.  127 


An  invitation  from  the  Central  Ohio  Conference  to  the  North 
Ohio  Conference  to  become  joint  owners  in  the  enterprise  was 
accepted,  with  the  understanding  that  both  bodies  were  to  appoint 
commissioners;  and  the  commissioners  met  in  April,  1874,  in  Clyde, 
Ohio,  and  agreed  upon  a  joint  management  of  the  meeting.  The 
brethren  to  have  charge  of  the  meeting  that  year  were:  Dr.  F.  S. 
Hoyt,  president;  Drs.  L.  A.  Belt  and  E.  Y.  Warner,  vice-presidents; 
Rev.  E.  Persons,  secretary,  and  C.  A.  Croninger,  treasurer. 

Revs.  S.  S.  Barter,  Gershom  Lease,  Joseph  Ayers,  L.  A.  Belt, 
and  Messrs.  Luther  A.  Skidmore,  C.  A.  Croninger,  Joseph  Cham- 
bers, Barney  Jacobs,  S.  B.  Squires,  and  William  Moore  were  elected 
trustees  from  the  Central  Ohio  Conference,  and  Revs.  E.  R.  Jewett, 
E.  Y.  Warner,  E.  Persons,  George  Myers,  F.  S.  Hoyt,  and  Messrs. 
G.  W.  Ball,  B.  Courtright,  Robert  Moore,  Jr.,  L.  W.  Whiting,  and 
H.  H.  Bayne,  from  the  North  Ohio  Conference.  The  camp-meeting 
of  1874  began  July  28th,  Dr.  F.  S.  Hoyt  and  Dr.  L.  A.  Belt  in 
charge.  The  grounds  were  dedicated  with  appropriate  and  inter- 
esting ceremonies,  the  Rev.  Thomas  M.  Eddy,  D.  D.,  preaching  the 
sermon  from  the  text,  "We  have  found  Him  in  the  field  and  the 
woods."  The  discourse  of  this  eloquent  minister  stirred  all  hearts 
and  forcibly  set  forth  the  spiritual  influence  and  value  of  camp- 
meetings.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  sermon  $600  were  raised,  a  sum 
more  than  necessary  to  meet  all  the  expenses  of  the  meetings. 

Dr.  William  Nast  and  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Phoebe  Palmer  were  present, 
and  preached  with  great  effect  and  edification. 

In  August,  1875,  the  first  German  Conference  camp-meeting 
was  held,  with  a  large  attendance  and  many  conversions.  The 
Central  German  Conference  became,  upon  the  invitation  of  the 
Central  Ohio  Conference  and  the  North  Ohio  Conference,  joint 
manager  in  the  camp-meeting,  holding  ever  since  that  relation  to 
the  enterprise. 

Year  after  year  the  camp-meeting,  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Central  German  Conference,  has  been  increasingly  effective  in 
reaching  the  unconverted  who  have  come  upon  the  grounds.  The 
Conference  acted  in  perfect  unison  and  harmony  with  the  Lakeside 
business  organization,  a  company  of  men  that  did  much  useful 
work  in  clearing  the  grounds  of  stones,  trees,  shrubs,  and  in  pro- 
viding means  of  sanitation  by  the  erection  of  buildings,  and  in  the 
construction  of  docks  and  improving  harbor  facilities. 


128 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


Through  the  purchase  of  extensive  grounds  and  from  the  plac- 
ing  of   costly    programs    from   year   to   year,    a    heavy    debt    was 
incurred,  so  that,  in  1878,  the  appointment  of  a  receiver  became 
a  necessity.     During  that  period  of  the 
receivership  the  Rev.  J.  C.  Roberts  was 
employed  as  financial  secretary,  who,  by 
laying  the   claims   of   Lakeside   upon  the 
thought  and  heart  of  the  Church,  secured 
sufficient  funds  to  enable  the  Camp-meet- 
ing Association  to  take  over  the  property  ' 
from  the  receiver  and  to  come   into   full 
ownership  and  management  of  the  enter- 
prise. 

Since   that   time,   notwithstanding   the 
fact    that    many    valuable    improvements 
have  been  made,  the  debt  has  been  reduced       PROF.  O.  H.  MAGLEY. 
to  about  $15,000;  and  the  property,  now  owned  and  controlled  by  the 
West  Ohio,  North-East  Ohio,  and. Central  German  Conferences,  is 
worth  not  less  than  $125,000,  that  estimate  not  including  cottages, 

private   lodging   and   boarding 
houses  and  school  buildings. 

The  first  Sunday  school 
encampment  was  held  in  1877, 
with  Dr.  J.  A.  Worden  as 
superintendent  of  instruction, 
and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Trimble  his 
assistant.  Both  of  these  men 
were  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  The  encampments  of 
1878  and  1879  were  in  charge 
of  Dr.  C.  W.  Gushing,  at  the 
time  pastor  of  an  important 
Church  in  Cleveland,  Ohio. 
The  encampment  of  1880  was 
in  charge  of  Dr.  John  H.  Vin- 
A.  B.  JONES.  cent,  who  was  elected  bishop 

in  1888,  and  his  brother,  Dr.  B.  T.  Vincent. 

In    1900    Charles    W.    Taneyhill    became    superintendent,    and 
served  seven  years.     Mr.  O.  H.  Magley  followed,  and  served  eight 


Lakeside,  Ohio. 


129 


C.  S.  McKiM. 


years.     During  the  management  of  Mr.  Magley,  up  to  1911  yearly, 

there  has  been  increasing  success.     Mr.  A.  B.  Jones  has  been  for 

the  year  1913  the  superintendent. 
This  year,  along  all  lines,  has  been 
the  most  successful  of  any  from  the 
beginning.  For  the  past  nine  years 
the  president,  R.  B.  Heller,  of 
Napoleon,  Ohio,  has  been  actively 
associated  in  the  Lakeside  man- 
agement with  Mr.  Magley  and  Mr. 
Jones.  He  deserves  great  credit 
for  his  great  assistance  without  de- 
manding much  compensation. 

During  the  past  two  decades 
some  of  the  more  prominent  men 
besides  those  already  named,  who 
have  given  time,  talent,  and  means 

to  build  up  Lakeside  are:  Mr. 

J.  S.  Oram,  J.  M.  Longnecker, 

A.  E.  Griswold,  C.  S.  McKim, 

Hon.  Frank  Briggs. 

The  encampment  was  con- 

ducted    under     the     following 

heads:    A  Normal  Class,  com- 

posed of  ministers  and  laymen, 

with  Drs.  B.  T.  Vincent,  N.  B. 

C.  Love,  G.  H.  Hartupee,  C. 

N.  Pond,  and  Adam  C.  Barnes 

as  instructors  ;  the   Intermedi- 

ate    Department,     Boys'     and 

Girls'    Class,    with    N.    B.    C. 

Love,    teacher,    and    Professor 

Sherman,  instructor  in  music; 

and   the  Primary  Class,  Mrs. 


B.  T.  Vincent,  teacher. 

The     annual     encampment  J-  S-  OHAM. 

program  consisted  of  lectures,  given,  many  of  them,  by  men 
eminent  in  their  lines;  amusements  such  as  would  attract  and 
please  the  most  refined  taste;  and  music,  vocal  and  instrumental, 

9 


130  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

of  the  quality  that  should  meet  the  expectations  of  those  versed 
in  that  art.  Besides  the  German  and  English  camp-meetings,  Sun- 
day school  and  Chautauqua  assemblies  each  year,  meetings  for  the 
promotion  of  temperance,  civic  reform,  education,  and  the  benevo- 
lent objects  of  the  Church  have  been  accorded  a  generous  hearing. 


LAKESIDE  LIFE  SAVING  STATION. 

For  a  period  of  twenty  years  the  C.  L.  S.  C.  was  an  im- 
portant and  prominent  feature  of  the  work,  with  fine  classes 
of  graduates  each  year  to  make  the  Chautauqua  Commencement  a 
"red-letter  day"  in  the  calendar. 

The  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  with  each  recurring  year 
has  held  meetings  of  a  social  and  patriotic  character.  Women's 
clubs  and  organizations,  seeking  to  interest  the  public  on  various 
questions  and  on  woman's  suffrage,  have  come  to  Lakeside,  where 
the  spirit  of  tolerance  is  not  stifled  and  where  the  doctrine  of 
democracy  is  vigorously  upheld  and  taught.  The  assembly  talent, 
now  more  than  formerly,  for  entertainment  and  amusement  is  of 
the  highest  order  and  is  given  the  approval  of  the  large  numbers 
that  annually  frequent  the  resort. 

To-day  and  for  some  time  past  the  Bible  Conference  is  proving 
to  be  one  of  the  most  prolific  sources  of  valuable  and  stimulative 
instruction  and  help.  Men  skilled  and  trustworthy  in  exegesis,  in 
Biblical  history,  in  the  interpretation  of  the  prophets  of  New  Testa- 
ment teaching,  and  capable  of  inspiring  in  their  hearers  a  new  and 
larger  interest  in  the  Word  of  God,  render  this  feature  of  the 
summer's  program  exceedingly  suggestive  and  attractive. 


Lakeside,  Ohio. 


131 


SAMUEL  CASE. 


Lakeside  as  a  place  of  rest  and  as  a  school  of  instruction  and 
inspiration  in  study  and  work  has  a  better  outlook  than  ever  before. 

The  debt  is  fading  away,  the  people  who 

go  to  Lakeside  have  an  abiding  confidence 
in  the  enterprise,  and  there  is  no  longer  any 
question  as  to  its  future  and  enlarging  use- 
fulness. The  closing  decade  has  added 
largely  to  the  situation  in  buildings,  in  vari- 
ous improvements,  in  patronage,  and  in  at- 
tendance. 

The  grounds  and  those  adjacent  invite 
the  steps  and  attract  the  study  of  the  student 
of  geology,  for  here  may  be  found  forma- 
tions which  have  been  many  centuries  in  the 
making;  glacier  tracings  on  the  great  rocks  forming  the  shore  of 
Lake  Erie  are  very  evident  and  interesting. 

Should  space  permit,  we  would  be  glad  to  make  mention  of  the 
many  men  and  women  who,  during  the  forty  years  of  the  history 
of  the  place — bishops,  lecturers,  reformers,  missionary  travelers, 
musicians,  persons  prominent  in 
State  and  Church,  generals,  leaders 
of  National  fame,  and  notable  min- 
isters, have  given  distinction  to 
Lakeside  and  great  inspiration  to  its 
many  thousands  of  attendants. 

Mr.  S.  R.  Gill  has  been  from  the 
beginning  a  true  and  generous  friend 
of  Lakeside,  filling  offices  of  great 
responsibility  with  acceptability. 
Samuel  Case,  of  Bowling  Green, 
Ohio,  in  the  cavalier  days  of  Lake- 
side was  a  devoted  friend  connected 
with  its  management. 

The  following  persons  constitute 
the  present  Board  of  Trustees:  West  Ohio  Conference  ministers — 
James  W.  Gibson.  Charles  Bennett,  V.  F.  Brown,  and  W.  A.  Robin- 
son; laymen — R.  B.  Heller,  John  M.  Killits,  S.  B.  LeSourd,  and 
H.  C.  Hopkins.  North-East  Ohio  Conference  ministers — John  I. 
Wilson,  J.  B.  Mills;  J.  H.  Blackburn,  C.  J.  Moore;  laymen — A.  L. 


MR.  R.  B.  HELLER. 


132  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

Hover,  Peter  J.  Slack,  D.  C.  Powers,  and  S.  R.  Gill.  Central  Ger- 
man Conference  ministers — Oscar  Rogatzky  and  Daniel  Matthaei; 
laymen — Theobald  Schunk  and  Otto  H.  Magley. 

President,  R.  B.  Heller,  Napoleon,  Ohio;  first  vice-president, 
Rev.  Daniel  Matthaei,  Grand  Rapids,  Mich;  second  vice-president. 
Rev.  John  I.  Wilson,  Cleveland,  Ohio;  third  vice-president,  S.  R. 
Gill,  Port  Clinton,  Ohio;  treasurer,  H.  C.  Hopkins,  Dayton,  Ohio; 
secretary,  Otto  H.  Magley,  Columbus,  Ohio;  superintendent,  Arthur 
B.  Jones,  Lakeside,  Ohio. 

STORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CONTEST  IN  THE  WAR  OF  1812. 

The  first  contest  of  the  War  of  1812  between  the  United  States 
and  England  in  the  region  around  Lake  Erie  occurred  on  the  lower 
end  of  the  peninsula  lying  between  Sandusky  Bay  and  Lake  Erie. 

On  September  29,  1812,  the  settlers  learned  that  a  band  of 
Indians  was  approaching,  and  with  haste  they  started  for  the  bay 
shore,  south  of  the  place  where  Marblehead  now  stands,  to  their 
blockhouse.  Before  reaching  it  the  Indians  attacked  them.  The 
pioneers  fought  bravely  and  their  savage  enemies  were  repulsed, 
some  of  their  number  being  killed  and  others  wounded.  Three  of 
the  pioneers  were  killed;  their  names  were  Mason,  Simons,  and 
Mingus,  and  a  number  were  wounded. 

Some  of  the  men  hastened  to  the  mainland,  on  the  east  side. 
where  they  met  friends  coming  to  their  rescue.  Within  three  days 
they  lifted  the  siege  at  the  blockhouse  and  relieved  those  in  the 
blockhouse,  who  were  without  food  and  water. 

After  the  siege  had  been  raised  and  they  were  delivered  from 
the  fear  of  starvation,  they  each  pledged  that  in  fifty  years  from 
that  day,  if  any  survived,  there  would  be  a  reunion  on  the  site  of 
the  blockhouse  and  at  the  graves  of  their  comrades. 

Hon.  Joshua  R.  Giddings,  then  a  youth  of  seventeen  years,  was 
one  of  the  number.  In  1858,  while  a  member  of  Congress,  he 
visited  the  scene  and  had  a  monument  erected. 

In  1862,  fifty  years  after  the  agreement  made  to  return,  Mr. 
Giddings,  then  a  member  of  Congress,  returned  and  stood  alone  by 
the  graves  of  his  friends  and  by  the  stone  he  had  caused  to  be 
erected.  This  is  a  scene  worthy  of  the  pen  of  the  poet  and  the 
brush  of  the  artist. 


Lakeside,  Ohio.  133 


As  long  as  the  name  of  Joshua  R.  Giddings,  the  great  friend 
of  the  slaves,  defending  their  rights  in  the  halls  of  Congress,  is 
remembered,  this  first  contest  of  the  War  of  1812  will  also  be 
remembered. 

It  is  a  satisfaction  to  know  that  the  great  Lakeside  Chautauqua 
Assembly  stands  on  historic  ground  where  a  battle  for  liberty  was 
fought  and  won. 


XIV. 

Educational  Institutions. 

THE  cause  of  education  has  always  appealed  to  the  sympathy 
and  support  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  its  numerous  and 
flourishing  institutions  in  many  parts  of  the  world  being  an  evidence 
of  the  interest  Methodism  has  taken  in  the  broadest  culture  of  the 
mind  and  in  the  fullest  equipment  for  life. 

The  Central  Ohio  Conference,  and  in  many  ways  its  individual 
members,  have  shown  a  decided  interest  in  the  establishment  and 
maintenance  of  higher  schools  of  learning  within  its  bounds. 

One  of  its  first  attempts  in  the  direction  of  education  of  young 
men  and  women  was  the  establishment  of  the  seminary  in  Maumee. 
This  school  afforded  some  of  the  early  ministers  of  the  Church 
the  advantages  of  a  course  of  study,  necessarily  elementary  and 
academic,  but  one  by  which  they  were  prepared  in  some  degree  for 
the  work  of  the  ministry. 

The  seminary  was  also  the  means  of  giving  to  considerable 
numbers  of  others,  young  men  and  women,  a  preparation  to  teach 
in  the  public  schools,  and  through  the  education  and  training  thus 
obtained  to  shed  a  refining  influence  in  the  home  and  to  inspire  in 
the  minds  of  their  associates  a  taste  for  learning  and  higher  ideals 
of  life  and  service.  The  Conference  has  already  taken  great  pride 
in  the  fair  name  and  enlarging  influence  of  the  Ohio  Wesleyan 
University  and,  so  long  as  it  was  a  separate  institution,  in  the  Ohio 
Wesleyan  Female  College  at  Delaware. 

Not  having  been  formed  when  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University 
was  established,  the  Conference  could  not  share  in  the  initial  step 
that  led  to  its  founding;  but  as  soon  as  the  Conference  came  into 
existence,  its  members  as  a  body,  and  many  of  them  in  a  special 
way,  accepted  gladly  any  relation  accorded  it  in  the  maintenance 
and  advancement  of  the  school. 

This  college,  organized  in  the  early  forties,  chiefly  by  a  band 
of  devoted  and  far-seeing  ministers,  aided  by  a  number  of  noble 
laymen,  has  proved  of  incalculable  value  to  thousands  of  young 

134 


Educational  Institutions.  135 

men  and  women,  who,  very  many  of  them,  have  found  distinguishing 
employment  in  the  various  professions  and  walks  of  life.  Their 
services  have  enlarged  and  made  prominent  in  society  and  the  world 
the  sacred  office  of  the  ministry,  the  chair  of  the  teacher,  the  pro- 
fessions of  law  and  medicine,  the  field  of  literature,  and  the  relation 
of  the  missionary  at  home  and  abroad,  while  into  other  occupations, 
less  notable  perhaps,  but  not  less  useful,  countless  numbers  have 
gone  as  artisans,  farmers,  business  men,  and  still  others  as  builders 
of  States  and  splendid  servants  of  their  country.  Its  Faculty  has 
comprised  men  and  women  of  rare  devotion  to  their  work  and  of 
illustrious  service  in  the  cause  of  higher  education. 

The  Conference,  in  1898,  purchased  from  individual  proprietors 
the  Ohio  Northern  University  at  Ada,  Hardin  County,  Ohio,  a 
school  with  a  long  and  interesting  career,  chiefly  at  first  in  the 
education  and  preparation  of  young  men  and  women  to  teach;  but 
as  circumstances  demanded,  the  school  widened  its  scope  of  instruc- 
tion so  as  to  embrace  courses  of  pharmacy,  music,  telegraphy, 
stenography,  law,  engineering,  etc.,  not,  however,  lessening  em- 
phasis on  the  importance  and  value  of  normal  training.  The  college 
at  Ada  has  been  and  still  is  a  school  extending  special  advantages 
to  teachers  wishing  to  review  their  studies,  and  to  young  people  in 
meager  circumstances. 

It  is  a  school  always  open,  and  students  turning  to  it  for  a 
practical  education  find  opportunities  offered  by  but  few  colleges 
in  the  country.  Its  graduates,  great  in  number,  are  to  be  found 
in  all  the  honorable  walks  of  life,  making  for  themselves  a  useful 
career  and  reflecting  on  their  Alma  Mater  no  little  distinction.  The 
college  has  relied  almost  entirely  upon  the  income  from  tuition  to 
meet  the  salaries  of  instructors  and  the  up-keep  of  the  institution. 

Recently,  however,  a  strenuous  but  successful  effort  has  been 
made  to  raise  the  sum  of  $200,000  as  an  endowment,  and  in  June, 
1913,  before  the  Commencement  of  the  university,  the  entire  amount 
was  subscribed. 


XV. 

Central  Ohio  Conference  Seminary. 

IN  the  year  1860  a  written  proposition  was  presented  to  the  Central 
Ohio  Conference  from  the  town  council  of  Maumee,  asking  the  Con- 
ference to  establish  a  seminary  in  the  town.  In  response  to  this 
communication  the  Conference  appointed  a  committee,  consisting 
of  Joseph  Ay  res,  Alexander  Nelson,  Leonard  B.  Gurley,  William 


CENTRAL  OHIO  CONFERENCE  SEMINARY,  MAUMEE,  OHIO. 

S.  Lunt,  and  Thomas  Parker,  to  consider  any  proposition  that  had 
been  made,  or  that  should  be  made,  in  regard  to  the  establishment 
of  such  an  institution  within  the  bounds  of  Toledo  District. 

A  proposition  had  already  come  to  the  Conference  to  establish 
a  school  at  Wauseon,  Ohio.  At  the  session  of -the  Conference  in 
1861  the  proposition  of  the  council  of  Maumee  was  accepted,  and 

136 


Central  Ohio  Conference  Seminary.  137 

the  seminary  known  as  the  Central  Ohio  Conference  Seminary  was 
established  at  Maumee.  The  name'  of  the  school  at  first  proposed 
was  the  Elm  Grove  Seminary. 

The  old  courthouse  and  grounds,  Maumee  being  the  first  county 
seat  of  Lucas  County,  were  turned  over  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  to  be  used  forever  for  educational  purposes. 

The  Minutes  of  the  Conference  of  1861  reported  the  property 
as  valuable  and  desirable  as  a  location  for  a  school,  and  free 
from  debt.  Everything  at  that  time  promised  well  for  a  school 
of  useful  and  honorable  character.  The  property  was  valued  at 
$17,700  in  1866.  The  first  principal 
of  the  seminary  was  Mr.  John  W. 
Hiett,  with  Russel  Bigelow  Pope,  as- 
sistant. He  had  just  graduated,  at 
the  age  of  seventeen,  from  the  Bald- 
win University,  Berea,  Ohio,  and  at 
once  won  the  confidence  of  students 
and  patrons.  Mrs.  Hiett,  the  wife  of 
Mr.  Hiett,  was  for  the  first  year  or 
two  employed  as  a  teacher. 

In  1863-64  Mr.  Pope  was  ad- 
junct professor,  and  in  1864-65,  full 
professor  of  Latin  and  Greek  in 
Baldwin  University,  having  been  REV.  RUSSEL  B.  POPE,  D.  D. 
elected  to  the  full  professorship  when  but  nineteen  years  old.  In 
the  year  1865  he  was  elected  principal  of  the  seminary  at  Maumee, 
holding  the  position  until  1868,  when  he  resigned  to  enter  the 
ministry  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference,  having  joined  the  Con- 
ference in  1866.  His  assistants  while  principal  were  Miss  Mary 
McDermott  and  Miss  Mary  Baldwin,  both  graduates  of  the  uni- 
versity at  Berea. 

In  November,  1867,  Mr.  Pope  married  Miss  Naomi  Sperry, 
a  graduate  of  the  Lake  Erie  Seminary,  at  Painesville,  Ohio;  a 
teacher  in  that  institution  for  two  or  three  years,  and  then  teacher 
in  the  seminary  at  Maumee  during  the  winter  and  spring  terms 
of  1867-68. 

On  the  resignation  of  Mr.  Pope,  Burton  J.  Hoadley,  a  class- 
mate at  Baldwin,  was  elected  principal.  Among  those  who  attended 
the  seminary  during  Mr.  Pope's  principalship  were  James  S.  G. 


138  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

Reader,  Wilson  U.  Spencer,  Jackson  T.  Pope,  Mrs.  W.  S.  Philpott, 
Mrs.  J.  T.  Pope,  and  Mrs.  Parker  P.  Pope. 

On  account  of  the  absence  of  many  young  men  who  had  enlisted 
in  the  service  of  their  country,  the  seminary  was  closed  during  the 
year  1864.  The  school  was  continued  a  year  or  two  longer  after 
the  election  of  Mr.  Hoadley  as  principal,  but  for  the  lack  of  patron- 
age it  was  finally  abandoned.  The  property  remained  in  possession 
of  the  Conference  until  1881,  when  it  was  transferred  back  to 
Maumee  City. 

During  the  existence  of  the  seminary  the  Neely  House  in  Mau- 
mee, which  is  still  standing  and  in  use,  was  occupied  as  a  boarding- 
house  for  the  students.  The  old  courthouse,  the  building  which  the 
seminary  used  for  class  and  recitation  purposes,  is  still  standing, 
but  falling  into  decay  and  ruins.  A  picture  of  the  building  is  to 
be  seen  in  these  pages.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hiett,  associated  with  the 
seminary  as  principal  and  teacher  at  its  beginning,  were  for  many 
years — the  rest  of  their  lives  after  leaving  the  school — prominent 
residents  of  Toledo,  both  actively  identified  with  St.  Paul's  Church, 
and  Mr.  Hiett  one  of  the  most  widely  known  business  men  of  the 
city.  They  have  both  passed  to  their  reward,  Mr.  Hiett  a  number 
of  years  ago,  and  his  wife,  a  woman  of  great  and  long  service 
among  the  needy  and  unfortunate  of  the  city,  departing  this  life 
in  June,  1913. 

Dr.  Pope  was  for  many  years  a  prominent  and  successful  pastor, 
serving  William  Street,  Delaware ;  St.  Paul's,  Toledo ;  Trinity, 
Chicago ;  Ann  Arbor,  Mich,  (twice)  ;  First  Church,  Cleveland ;  and 
in  his  later  years  at  Cambridge,  Coshocton,  and  Painesville,  Ohio. 
His  death  occurred  at  Painesville,  Ohio,  September  17,  1904. 


XVI. 


SULPHUR  SPRING. 


Ohio  Wesleyan  University. 

THE  Ohio  Wesleyan  University  was  founded  in  1844.  It  owes  its 
location,  if  not  its  establishment  at  that  particular  date.,  to  the 
famous  White  Sulphur  Spring  in  Delaware.  In  order  to  accommo- 
date tourists  and  seekers  after 
health  who  had  been  attracted 
to  the  spring,  two  enterprising 
citizens,  Judge  Thomas  W. 
Powell  and  Columbus  W.  Kent, 
erected,  in  the  year  1833,  on  a 
spacious  lot  embracing  the 
spring,  a  fine  hotel,  which  soon 
became  known  as  the  Mansion 
House.  In  the  summer  of 
1841  Judge  Powell,  who  had 
become  the  sole  proprietor,  de- 
cided to  abandon  the  attempt  to  establish  a  Western  watering  place. 
The  spring  property  being  thus  brought  onto  the  market,  it  was 
suggested  by  the  Rev.  Adam  Poe,  the  Methodist  pastor  in  Delaware, 
that  the  citizens  should  purchase  it  and  offer  it  to  the  Ohio  and  the 
Northern  Ohio  Conferences  jointly  as  a  site  for  a  Methodist  col- 
lege. Mr.  Poe's  suggestion  met  with  a  cordial  approval,  both  from 
the  citizens  of  Delaware  and  from  the  members  of  the  Conferences. 
As  early  as  September,  1840,  Dr.  Edward  Thomson,  then 
principal  of  Norwalk  Seminary,  in  a  long  report  to  the  North  Ohio 
Conference,  from  the  Committee  on  Education,  said:  "There  is 
no  Methodist  college  in  Ohio.  We  blush  to  think  it  contains  no 
institution  to  which  our  youth  can  resort  for  collegiate  education 
without  imbibing  ideas  at  variance  with  the  religious  belief  of  their 
fathers  and  the  Church  of  their  adoption.  There  is  no  State  in 
the  country  in  which  the  Methodist  Church  is  more  in  need  of  a 
college  than  Ohio." 

139 


140  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

In  1841  Dr.  Elliott,  in  an  editorial  in  the  Western  Christian 
Advocate,  gave  expression  in  favor  of  some  movement  looking 
towards  the  establishment  of  a  school  of  a  higher  grade.  The 
property  proposed  for  a  college  site  comprised  about  ten  acres  of 
ground,  lying  in  the  suburbs  of  Delaware.  The  investment  in  the 
grounds  was  about  $25,000,  but  the  owner  offered  to  convey  his 
interest  in  the  entire  property  for  $10,000.  This  sum,  it  was 
thought,  could  be  raised  by  subscription  among  the  citizens  of  the 
town  and  country;  and,  accordingly,  a  delegation  was  appointed 
to  wait  on  the  Conferences  and  ascertain  whether  they  would  ac- 
cept the  property  if  conveyed  to  them  as  proposed. 

The  delegation  laid  the  proposition  before  the  North  Ohio  Con- 
ference in  Wooster,  in  August,  1841,  and  before  the  Ohio  Confer- 
ence, the  same  year,  in  Urbana,  Ohio. 

In  response  to  the  request  of  the  delegation,  both  Conferences 
appointed  committees  to  take  the  matter  under  consideration;  and 
the  committees  thus  constituted  met  in  Delaware,  September  1, 
1841.  The  committee  consisted  of  Revs.  John  H.  Power,  Adam 
Poe,  Edward  Thomson,  James  Brewster,  and  William  S.  Morrow, 
from  the  North  Ohio  Conference,  and  Revs.  Jacob  Young,  James 
B.  Finley,  Charles  Elliott,  Edmund  W.  Sehon,  and  Joseph  M. 
Trimble,  from  the  Ohio  Conference.  The  committee  voted  to  ac- 
cept the  property  if  the  citizens  should  perfect  their  offer  and  if 
the  title  should  be  made  satisfactory  to  the  Conferences.  The 
Conference  Committee  met  again  on  November  17,  1841,  and  re- 
ceived from  Judge  Powell  a  bond  for  the  conveyance  of  the  prop- 
erty donated  by  the  citizens ;  and  the  title  was  finally  made  to  the 
trustees  in  1850. 

In  addition  to  the  ten  acres  donated  by  the  citizens,  the  com- 
mittee purchased  from  Judge  Powell  an  adjacent  property,  on  the 
south  side  of  the  original  grounds,  of  five  acres  more,  at  a  cost  of 
$5,000,  and  the  furniture  of  the  Mansion  House  for  about  $2,000. 

The  population  of  the  State  in  1850  was  about  1,500,000,  and 
the  Methodist  Church  in  Ohio  numbered  150,000  members.  Im- 
mediate steps  were  now  taken  looking  to  a  formal  organization, 
and  a  committee,  consisting  of  Jacob  Young,  Joseph  M.  Trimble, 
and  Adam  Poe,  was  appointed  to  apply  to  the  Legislature  for  an 
act  of  incorporation. 

A  special  charter,  under  the  old  Constitution,  conferring  uni- 


Ohio  Wesleyan  University. 


141 


DAVID  S.  GRAY,  LL.  D. 


EDWARDS  GYMNASIUM. 


142  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

versity  powers  was  granted  by  the  Legislature,  March  7,  1842.  The 
corporate  powers  were  vested  in  a  board  of  twenty-one  trustees 
from  different  parts  of  the  State.  These  were  William  Neff,  Ex- 
Governor  Allen  Trimble,  Lemuel  Reynolds,  Thomas  Orr,  William 
Bishop,  William  Armstrong,  Rev.  James  B.  Finley,  Rev.  Jacob 
Young,  Rev.  Edmund  W.  Sehon,  Rev.  Leonidas  L.  Hamline,  Judge 
Patrick  G.  Goode,  George  B.  Arnold,  Ex-Governor  Mordecai  Bart- 
ley,  Frederick  C.  Welch,  Wilder  Joy,  Henry  Ebbert,  John  H. 
Harris,  Rev.  Adam  Poe,  Rev.  William  Burke,  and  Rev.  Leonard 
B.  Gurley. 

All  of  these  men,  prominent  in  their  day  in  State  or  Church, 
have  passed  away,  the  last  one  being  Dr.  Gurley,  who  died  in 
1880,  at  the  ripe  age  of  seventy-six  years. 

To  provide  for  the  safety  of  the  buildings  and  to  meet  the 
public  expectation,  it  was  thought  best  to  commence  the  work  im- 
mediately, and  a  subcommittee  was  appointed,  consisting  of  Revs. 
Adam  Poe  and  William  S.  Morrow,  to  employ  teachers  and  open 
a  preparatory  school.  This  committee  at  once  engaged  Capt.  James 
D.  Cobb,  a  graduate  of  West  Point  and  an  ex-army  officer,  as 
instructor  in  the  new  school  for  the  year  1841-42.  It  was  arranged 
that  he  should  have  free  use  of  the  Mansion  House,  but  look  to 
the  receipts  from  tuition  for  his  compensation.  He  had  a  mixed 
school  of  boys  and  girls.  At  the  end  of  the  year  Capt.  Cobb 
resigned  his  place  and  moved  to  the  South  for  his  health. 

The  Board  of  Trustees,  at  their  first  meeting  in  Hamilton, 
Ohio,  where  the  Ohio  Conference  was  in  session  in  October,  1842, 
elected  Rev.  Edward  Thomson,  at  that  time  principal  of  Norwalk 
Seminary,  to  the  presidency  of  the  university,  with  the  understand- 
ing that  the  appointment  was  only  nominal  for  the  present,  but 
a  pledge  to  the  Church  that  a  college  Faculty  would  be  appointed 
and  the  college  opened  at  no  distant  day. 

The  Board,  however,  determined  that  a  preparatory  school 
should  meanwhile  be  maintained,  and  appointed  Rev.  Solomon 
Howard  as  principal,  with  authority  to  employ  his  associate  teachers. 
Professor.  Howard  began  his  school  November  1,  1842,  and 
continued  it  successfully  for  two  years.  Both  sexes  were  still 
admitted ;  the  attendance  was  largely  local.  He  had  at  first  but 
four  little  boys  as  pupils,  but  the  number  for  the  year  was  one 
hundred  and  thirty. 


Ohio  Wesleyan  University. 


143 


SLOCUM  LIBRARY. 


ELLIOTT  HALL. 


144 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


In  1841  the  academic  work  of  the  college  was  begun,  and  in 
September  of  that  year  a  Faculty  was  organized,  with  Rev.  Herman 
M.  Johnson,  professor  of  Ancient  Languages ;  Rev.  Solomon  How- 
ard, professor  of  Mathematics;  William  G.  Williams,  principal 


WILLIAM  G.  WILLIAMS,  LL.  D. 

of  the  Preparatory  Department,  and  Enoch  G.  Dial,,  assistant  in 
the  Preparatory  Department. 

The  president's  salary,  when  he  should  enter  upon  his  duty, 
was  fixed  at  $800;  the  professors  were  to  receive  $600  each,  and 
the  teachers  in  the  Preparatory  Department,  $400  and  $350  re- 
spectively; but  it  was  many  years  before  even  these  salaries  were 
paid  as  they  became  due. 

Wednesday,  November  13,  1844,  was  the  day  appointed  and 
advertised  for  the  opening  of  the  school.  The  weather  was  dis- 
agreeable ;  the  day  was  rainy  and  chill,  and  the  prospect  was  not 
encouraging.  Dr.  Thomson  was  present  but  for  a  day  or  two, 
and  did  not  enter  upon  his  duty  for  nearly  two  years  afterward, 


Ohio  Wesleyan  University. 


145 


SANBORN  HALL. 


MONNETT  HALL. 


146  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

and  Professor  Johnson  was  detained  from  duty  until  after  the 
winter  holidays.  The  three  other  teachers  of  the  five  appointed 
reported  for  duty. 

They  met  in  the  basement  of  the  Mansion  House,  once  the 
dining  room,  which  had  been  temporarily  fitted  up  for  a  chapel. 
But  twenty-nine  presented  themselves  for  enrollment,  and  all  were 
males ;  most  of  them  were  from  other  parts  of  the  State.  From  this 
small  number  the  Faculty  was  able  to  organize  all  the  college 
classes  below  senior.  By  the  end  of  the  year  there  were  only  two 
juniors,  two  sophomores,  fourteen  freshmen,  and  there  were  ninety- 
two  in  the  preparatory  and  other  courses.  Such  was  the  initial 
catalogue  of  a  university  which,  long  before  its  jubilee  year,  en- 
rolled forty  times  the  first  number  of  students  annually,  and  now 
graduates  hundreds  at  a  time. 

Delaware,  in  1844,  was  a  village  of  twelve  hundred  inhabitants, 
away  from  the  lines  of  travel,  of  commerce,  of  intercourse.  There 
were  no  railroads  in  the  State,  and  but  few  good  pikes.  In  bad 
weather  it  took  the  tri-weekly  stage  a  whole  day  to  plough  its 
way  hither  from  Columbus.  There  were  no  paved  walks  or  graveled 
roadways  in  the  town;  and  in  the  winter  the  Faculty  and  students 
extemporized  walks  of  tan  bark,  or  else  literally  waded  through 
the  mud  to  their  lodgings  down-town,  to  the  postoffice,  or  to  church. 
There  were  no  street  lights,  and  on  dark  nights  lanterns  were 
necessary.  There  was  no  town  clock,  but  the  courthouse  bell  was 
rung  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  at  nine  o'clock  at  night. 
There  was  no  bookstore  in  the  town ;  there  was  a  single  newspaper — 
a  weekly.  There  were  two  small  common  school  buildings;  the 
Delaware  Academy,  built  ten  years  before  by  a  stock  company  in 
the  interests  of  better  education,  had  completely  failed  and  was 
standing  empty.  There  was  not  a  good  church  building  in  the 
place,  but  the  several  congregations  in  the  town — Presbyterian, 
Methodist,  and  Episcopal — were  prosperous,  and  their  pulpits  were 
well  filled.  Rev.  William  L.  Harris  (afterwards  professor,  mis- 
sionary secretary,  bishop)  was  the  pastor  of  the  Methodist  Church. 

The  present  attractive  appearance  of  the  spring — its  fine  marble 
basin  and  the  pleasant  approaches — is  due  to  the  public  spirit  of 
Mr.  Sidney  Moore,  president  of  the  Delaware  County  National 
Bank. 

Education  the  world  over  is  largely  a  gratuity,  and  especially 


Ohio  Wesleyan  University. 


EDWARD  THOMSON,  LL.  D. 


FREDERICK  MERRICK,  LL.  D. 


L.  D.  McCABE,  LL.  D. 


CHARLES  H.  PAYNE,  LL.  D. 


148  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

in  the  higher  institutions  of  learning.  Grounds,  buildings,  cabinets, 
libraries,  endowments,  and  all  the  educational  appliances  of  science 
and  art,  are  the  gifts  of  the  founders  of  the  school  to  the  students 
who  attend  it.  A  college,  to  be  eminently  successful  in  its  work, 
should  have  all  of  these  before  it  opens  its  doors  to  the  public. 
But  in  former  times,  in  the  Western  country,  neither  State  nor 


OBSERVATORY  . 

Church  could  afford  to  wait  for  the  accumulation  of  all  these  before 
beginning  their  work,  and  the  result  was  that  most  of  our  schools 
were  started  upon  very  meager  foundations.  Such  was  the  case 
with  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University. 

The  Board  of  Trustees  started  with  nothing,  and  were  in  debt. 
To  secure  a  present  support  and  a  future  growth  was,  of  course, 
a  matter  of  immediate  and  vital  concern.  The  only  resources  of 
the  institution  were  the  contributions  of  its  friends,  and  these  at 
first  came  slowly  and  sparingly,  and  it  was  not  until  1849  that  the 
indebtedness  of  $7,000  for  the  purchase  money  was  all  paid. 

Early  in  the  history  of  the  college  the  Conferences  devised 
plans  for  the  endowment  of  the  university.  In  1843  the  Ohio  Con- 
ference appointed  Revs.  Frederick  Merrick  and  Uriah  Heath 
agents  to  raise  funds  from  donations  for  the  university,  or  by 
the  sale  of  scholarships  entitling  the  bearer  to  tuition  at  the  rate 
of  $100  for  five  years.  The  following  year  the  North  Ohio  Con- 


Ohio  Wesleyan  University.  149 

ference  appointed  agents  to  work  within  its  bounds.  These  agents, 
in  the  course  of  two  years,  obtained  subscriptions  and  notes  for 
scholarships  to  the  amount  of  about  $30,000,  and  some  donations 
of  land  worth  perhaps  $15,000  more.  And  though  these  agents 
were  continued  in  the  field  for  the  sale  of  scholarships,  the  aggre- 
gate did  not  perceptibly  increase.  At  the  end  of  six  years  the 
total  net  assets  were  estimated  at  only  $70,000,  and  of  this  the 
endowment  money  and  subscriptions  reached  only  $54,000.  The 
institution  was  still  on  the  borders  of  inanition.  It  was  evident 
that  unless  a  more  effective  policy  were  adopted,  the  school  was 
destined  to  failure,  or  at  best  to  a  feeble  existence. 

In  1849  the  Faculty  devised  and  proposed  to  the  trustees  a 
system  of  scholarships  by  a 
much  cheaper  rate;  and  it  was 
hoped  that  these  would  be  more 
popular,  and  be  sold  to  an  ex- 
tent sufficient  to  give  the  insti- 
tution both  money  and  students 
for  at  least  all  present  ne- 
cessities. The  success  which 
crowned  the  effort,  notwith- 
standing the  fear  that  it  would 
not  meet  the  requirements,  STURGES  HALL. 

quieted  all  criticisms.  Three  agents  were  appointed  by  each  of 
the  Conferences  to  put  the  new  scholarships  upon  the  market,  and 
in  two  years  they  sold  nearly  three  thousand,  and  paid  into  the 
treasury  of  the  university,  besides  the  expense  of  the  support  of 
the  agents  and  the  Faculty  meanwhile,  a  sum  sufficient  to  raise 
the  nominal  endowment,  in  1854,  to  a  round  $100,000.  In  view 
of  this  hopeful  condition  of  the  finances,  the  salaries  of  the  Faculty 
were  increased  as  follows:  the  president  was  paid  $1,400;  the 
professors,  $1,000  each;  the  tutors,  $500  each.  At  the  end  of 
the  first  decennium  the  institution  was  in  a  healthful  condition  and 
with  good  prospects  for  the  future.  This  system  of  cheap  scholar- 
ships greatly  and  rapidly  increased  the  number  of  students  from 
year  to  year. 

The  better  outlook  for  the  future  of  the  school  soon  led  to 
improved  accommodations  for  the  care  of  the  larger  number  of 
students;  and  on  Saturday,  July  26,  1851,  during  Commencement 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


week,  the  corner-stone  was  laid  of  a  building  large  enough  for  a 
chapel  and  a  number  of  recitation  rooms.  The  building,  which  cost 
about  $20,000,  was  dedicated  the  following  year.  The  structure 
was  three  stories  high  and  measured  eighty-five  feet  by  fifty-five. 
The  main  audience  room,  twenty-three  feet  high,  covered  the  entire 
upper  .floor,  and  its  capacity  was  about  six  hundred  sittings,  which 
was  then  thought  the  utmost  probable  need  of  the  institution  for 
long  years  to  come.  The  building  was  afterwards  named  Thomson 
Chapel,  in  honor  of  the  president.  This  building,  the  only  tangible 
thing  on  the  university  grounds  to  suggest  the  name  and  eminent 
services  of  the  first  president  of  the  institution,  was  some  years  ago 
dismantled  to  make  room  for  Slocum  Library,  a  large  and  ample 

building  adapted  in  every  way 
to  its  purposes.  The  material 
equipments  of  the  university 
are  among  the  very  best. 

The  beautiful  campus,  em- 
bracing forty  acres  in  the  cen- 
ter of  the  city,  affords  suffi- 
cient ground  for  the  necessary 
growth  of  a  great  university. 
The  green  lawn,  the  fine  trees, 
MERRICK  HALL.  and  the  large  campus  make  it 

a  delightful  place  for  student  life.  The  college  buildings,  some  ten 
or  twelve  in  all,  are  equal  in  architectural  beauty  and  convenience 
to  any  in  the  country.  Besides  Slocum  Library  there  is  Elliott 
Hall,  formerly  the  old  "Mansion  House;"  Merrick  Hall,  named  for 
Dr.  Frederick  Merrick,  the  second  president  of  the  university; 
University  Hall  and  Gray  Chapel,  the  most  stately  building  on  the 
campus,  built  in  1893,  and  named  for  the  Rev.  David  S.  Gray,  for 
many  years  a  beloved  member  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference — 
the  father  of  Dr.  D.  S.  Gray,  a  munificent  patron  of  the  college, 
and  for  the  past  twenty-five  years  president  of  the  Board  of  Trus- 
tees; the  Gymnasium,  made  possible  by  the  generous  gift  of  Mr. 
John  Edwards  and  family,  of  Leipsic,  Ohio. 

In  the  western  part  of  the  city  is  Monnett  Hall,  located  on  a 
separate  campus  containing  ten  acres.  The  broad  walk,  the  well- 
kept  lawn,  and  the  fine  shade  trees  give  charm  to  this  picturesque 
spot.  The  Hall  accommodates  between  three  and  four  hundred 


Ohio  Wesleyan  University.  151 


WILLIAM  F.  WHITLOCK,  LL.  D. 


JAMES  W.  BASHFORD,  LL.  D. 


152  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

young  women,  who  have  the  home  protection  and  supervisory  care 
of  experienced  and  cultivated  teachers. 

Recently  erected,  just  at  the  left  of  the  beautiful  walk  leading 
to  Monnett  Hall,  Sanborn  Music  Hall  graces  the  scene,  the  gift 
of  Mrs.  A.  S.  Clason,  in  memory  of  her  mother. 

Edward  Thomson,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  the  first  president  of  the 
university,  was  born  in  England,  but  wore  the  manners  of  an 
American.  Dr.  Thomson,  though  slight  of  stature,  bore  the  mien 
which  would  at  once  attract  attention  and  command  the  deepest 
respect  and  admiration.  His  mind,  like  his  body,  was  of  fine  tex- 
ture, and  had  been  brought  to  such  discipline  and  culture,  to  such 
beauty  and  charm  of  expression,  to  such  powers  of  generalization, 
as  to  make  him  one  of  the  most  thrilling  and  classic  preachers  of 
the  Church.  His  knowledge  was  so  extensive  and  exact  that  he 
was  at  home  before  almost  any  class,  or  in  any  text-book. 

His  sermons  made  famous  the  pulpit  of  old  William  Street 
Church,  and  gave  renown  to  the  lecture  platform  of  the  university. 

His  wit  was  of  a  high  order,  rich  and  varied,  and  with  its  use 
he  could  silence  a  tumult  and  put  to  blush  the  effrontery  of  intruders. 

In  1864  he  was  elected  editor  of  the  Christian  Advocate,  and  in 
1868  bishop  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

By  his  beautiful  life  and  Christian  example  he  left  an  indelible 
impress  on  the  thousands  of  young  men  who  sat  under  the  charm 
of  his  eloquence  and  in  the  splendor  of  his  personality. 

Frederick  Merrick,  D.  D.,  succeeded  Dr.  Thomson  as  presi- 
dent of  the  university.  His  general  appearance  at  once  gave  one 
the  impression  of  seriousness,  gravity,  and  of  reserve;  but,  when 
known,  he  was  transformed  into  the  aspect  of  fatherly  affection 
and  profound  sympathy.  His  presidency  of  the  college  was  char- 
acterized by  eminent  wisdom  and  spiritual  oversight  of  his  students. 

Whateverfhe  touched  with  mind  or  hand  was  given  the  character 
of  permanency^and  solidity.  Nothing  crumbled  that  he  builded,  but 
like  the  mountains  that  remain,  his  work,  wherever  done,  stands. 

Upon  his  "retirement  from  the  presidency,  but  not  from  the 
Faculty,  for  he  was  retained  as  professor,  Professor  £.  D.  McCabe, 
D.  D.,  was  made  acting  president  of  the  university,  bringing  to 
the  administration  of  the  school  a  long  acquaintance  with  student 
life,  a  nature  sensitive  as  a  woman's,  an  eloquence  in  sermon  and 
prayer  as  if  a  seraph  were  speaking,  and  a  personality  tender  in 


Ohio  Wesleyan  University. 


153 


PRESIDENT  HERBERT  WELCH,  LL.  D. 


PRESIDENT'S  RESIDENCE. 


154  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

its  sympathies  and  warm  in  its  attachments;  and  then,  Professor 
William  G.  Williams,  LL.  D.,  exact  and  exacting  in  the  recitation 
room,  yet  ever  kind,  modest,  and  universally  esteemed,  a  linguist 
of  high  rank,  and  professor  of  Greek  for  more  than  half  a  century ; 
and  Professor  William  F.  Whitlock,  LL.  D.,  literary,  practical,  a 
superb  teacher,  as  much  at  home  in  Latin  and  Latin  literature  as 
a  mother  with  her  children,  the  loving  and  loved  friend  of  all  young 
people,  were  each  in  turn  the  acting  president  of  the  University. 

The  third  president  was  the  Rev.  Charles  H.  Payne,  D.  D.,  who 
came  to  the  university  after  an  extraordinary  career  as  pastor  of 
Eastern  Churches.  Dr.  Payne's  administration  was  marked  by  em- 
phasis on  evangelism.  He  was  a  remarkable  preacher,  a  dominating 
personal  leader,  and  was  instrumental  in  leading  hundreds  of  stu- 
dents into  the  Christian  life. 

The  fourth  president  of  the  university  was  the  Rev.  James  W. 
Bashford,  D.  D.,  of  Buffalo,  New  York.  His  presidency  of  the 
university  for  some  fifteen  years  was  attended  with  great  and 
growing  success  in  the  number  of  students,  in  the  erection  of  build- 
ings, in  popularizing  the  institution  throughout  the  State  and  the 
country,  and  in  the  adoption  of  such  standards  and  policies  as 
should  meet  the  requirements  of  the  times.  President  Bashford 
was  elected  to  the  office  of  bishop  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
in  1904,  and  immediately  assigned  to  duties  in  China,  where  ever 
since  he  has  had  his  episcopal  residence,  and  where  in  the  provi- 
dence of  God  he  has  been  performing  a  work  the  records  of  which 
only  eternity  can  unfold. 

The  Rev.  Herbert  Welch,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  became  president  of 
the  university  in  1906,  and  by  a  thorough  acquaintance  with  the 
details  of  administration,  the  maintenance  of  a  high  moral  standard 
for  the  students,  the  increase  of  the  endowment  to  a  half-million 
dollars,  and  the  introduction  of  the  spirit  of  modernism  into  the 
institution,  is  making  the  university  a  center  of  increasing  light  and 
influence  in  the  State. 

The  annual  attendance  of  large  numbers  of  young  men  and 
women,  the  generous  support  and  wise  counsels  of  many  laymen 
in  Ohio  Methodism,  the  united  patronage  of  all  the  Conferences  in 
the  State,  and  the  spirit  of  the  fathers  immanent  in  the  school,  and 
more,  the  immanence  of  the  Spirit  of  all  wisdom  and  goodness  in 
the  university,  combine  to  make  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  one  of  the 
greatest  schools  in  the  land. 


Ohio  Wesleyan  University. 


155 


i 

p 


XVI] 

Ohio  Northern  University. 

ADA,  the  seat  of  the  Ohio  Northern  University,  is  an  attractive  town 
in  Northwestern  Ohio,  on  the  Pittsburgh,  Fort  Wayne,  and  Chicago 
branch  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad.  Its  climate  is  healthful, 
sanitary  conditions  well  guarded,  and  it  possesses  an  abundant  sup- 
ply of  excellent  water  from  drilled  wells.  The  town  is  singularly 
free  from  epidemics. 

Fine  forest  trees  line  the  avenues  and  adorn  the  premises, 
affording  a  delightful  retreat  during  the  summer  months.  The 
paved  streets,  the  hot  and  cold  water  plants,  the  electric  light  works, 
and  the  constant  building  and  renovating  of  residences  and  building 
blocks  evince  the  interest  of  the  citizens  in  the  matter  of  public 
utilities  and  civic  improvements.  Exclusive  of  students,  the  popu- 
lation of  the  town  is  about  three  thousand. 

The  people  are  moral,  large-hearted,  and  especially  kind  and 
courteous  to  the  students.  For  several  years  the  saloons  have  been 
banished  from  the  place,  and  to-day  the  county  is  "dry"  under 
local  option  law. 

In  the  latter  sixties,  half  a  century  ago,  Henry  S.  Lehr,  a  young 
pedagogue  from  Eastern  Ohio,  found  his  way  westward  to  this 
town,  then  known  as  Johnstown.  He  secured  employment  as 
teacher  in  the  Union  Schools,  and  afterwards  taught  for  a  number 
of  terms  a  select  school.  His  spirit  of  enthusiasm  and  helpfulness, 
and  his  keen  appreciation  of  the  practical  in  subjects  and  in  the 
methods  of  instruction,  attracted  many  students  and  prospective 
teachers  to  his  school. 

The  dream  of  founding  a  great  normal  school,  in  which  plain- 
ness, practicalness,  and  inexpensiveness  should  be  the  main  char- 
acteristics, became  a  master  passion,  directing  his  thought,  shaping 
his  plans,  and  at  last  taking  definite  and  actual  form  in  his  purpose. 

In  the  year  1870-71  the  first  building,  a  large,  three-story 
brick,  was  erected,  and  on  August  14,  1871,  the  Northwestern 
Ohio  Normal  School  was  formally  opened  "for  the  instruction  and 

156 


t 

HR  MEMORIAL  O.N.U 


158  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

training  of  teachers  in  the  science  of  education,  the  art  of  teaching, 
and  the  best  methods  of  governing  schools." 

In  the  fall  of  1875  the  Northwestern  Normal  School,  located 
in  Fostoria,  Ohio,  was  consolidated  with  the  Northwestern  Ohio 
Normal  School  at  Ada.  From  the  very  beginning  a  limited  number 
of  special  subjects  was  offered  in  the  course  of  instruction,  but 
from  time  to  time,  as  patronage  required,  department  schools  were 
organized  as  follows:  Music,  commercial,  telegraphy,  fine  arts, 
stenography,  engineering,  military,  law,  and  pharmacy. 

In  1885  the  name  was  changed  from  Northwestern  Ohio  Normal 
School  to  Ohio  Normal  University,  the  plan  and  management  re- 
maining the  same,  and  the  principles  and  methods  in  normal  in- 
struction marking  the  administration. 

From  its  inception  the  school  was  under  private  management 
and  control  until  in  September,  1898,  when  the  proprietors  of  the 
school  sold  it  to  the  Central  Ohio  Conference  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  for  $24,000. 

Under  the  new  administration,  as  rapidly  as  existing  contracts 
permitted,  there  came  a  change  in  the  relations  of  the  several 
departmental  schools  to  the  main  school.  These,  hitherto  semi- 
independent,  were  now  recognized  under  one  management  and  con- 
trol, and  the  respective  deans  placed  on  salaries  instead  of  on 
commissions.  At  the  same  time  instruction  in  the  main  school  was 
made  departmental,  with  the  head  teacher  in  each  department  as 
director. 

In  1904-05  the  institution  was  chartered  under  the  name  of 
the  Ohio  Northern  University. 

The  university  campus  lies  in  a  residential  portion  of  the  town, 
a  few  blocks  south  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  station.  On  this 
campus  stand  the  old  Normal  Hall,  endeared  by  many  a  cherished 
memory  of  the  early  and  struggling  days  of  the  school ;  the  Admin- 
istration Building,  erected  by  the  citizens  of  Ada  and  leased  to 
the  original  proprietors  of  the  school,  but  deeded  a  few  years  ago 
to  the  present  owners ;  Dukes'  Memorial  Building,  located  on  the 
south  side  of  the  campus,  devoted  to  science,  engineering,  and  law; 
the  Brown  Auditorium,  in  the  northeast  angle  of  the  campus,  an 
assembly  hall  for  gatherings  of  all  kinds,  from  lecture  courses  to 
basket-ball;  the  Pharmacy  Building,  in  the  northwest  angle,  re- 
cently remodeled  and  newly  equipped;  while  just  outside,  south- 


l6o  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


H.  S.  LEHR,  LL.  D., 

Founder  and  First  President. 


REV.  LEROT  A.  BELT,  D.  D.  REV.  ALBERT  EDWIN  SMITH,  PH.  D.,  D.  D. 


Ohio  Northern  University.  l6l 

west  of  the  quadrangle,  Music  Hall,  with  its  assembly  room,  offices, 
and  private  practice  rooms,  well  lighted  and  heated  by  the  university 
central  heating  system.  At  night  these  buildings  are  all  lighted 
with  electricity. 

The  university  possesses  a  tract  of  land  within  a  block  and  a 
half  of  the  campus,  containing  sixty  acres  of  rich,  productive  soil 
under  cultivation.  Here  the  agricultural  buildings  are  to  be  erected 
in  the  near  future — a  well-equipped  College  of  Agriculture  already 
partly  organized  and  giving  instruction,  to  be  devoted  to  the  prac- 
tical demonstration  of  farm  methods  and  problems,  and  to  the 
training  of  young  men  and  women  to  stay  on  the  land  and  to  be 
made  to  realize  that  independence,  culture,  social  development,  and 
a  free  life  are  to  be  attained  in  rural  districts  as  well  as  in  the  city. 

The  various  departments  of  the  university — Chemical,  Bio- 
logical, Museum,  Pharmaceutical,  Library — are  all  well  cared  for 
and  appropriately  and  fully  equipped. 

The  Young  Women's  and  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tions are  strong  organizations  and  are  exerting  a  salutary  and  moral 
influence  on  the  student  body. 

The  Rev.  Leroy  A.  Belt,  D.  D.,  was  elected  president  of  the 
university  in  1898,  and  resigned  in  1905,  and  the  Rev.  Albert  E. 
Smith,  D.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  became  its  president.  The  Faculty  com- 
prises some  thirty  professors  and  instructors. 

The  enrollment  of  students  in  the  various  departments  of  the 
school  in  1912  was  between  eleven  hundred  and  twelve  hundred. 

The  purpose  of  the  university  to  raise  $200,000  of  endowment 
during  the  year  1913  has  been  realized. 

The  graduating  class  of  1912  numbered  two  hundred  and  forty- 
nine  students.  Eighty-five  out  of  the  eighty-eight  counties  of  the 
State,  twenty-nine  out  of  the  forty-eight  States  of  the  Union,  and 
twelve  foreign  countries  are  represented  in  the  enrollment  of  the 
school. 

The  institution  has  a  preparatory  course  of  fifteen  standard 
units  and  three  full  college  courses  leading  to  the  Bachelor  degree, 
u 


XVIII. 

History  of   Churches. 


ADA  CHURCH. 

THE  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Ada  was  organized  in  1854 
or  1855.  The  village  was  then  called  Johnstown.  Meetings  were 
held  by  Samuel  Hagerman  and  Enos  Holmes,  local  preachers,  and 

a  small  class  was  gathered.  Among 
the  original  members  were  Joel  Baum 
and  wife,  William  Tyley  and  wife, 
Brother  Schliester  and  wife  and 
daughter,  S.  M.  Johnson  and  wife, 
Hammond  Gilbert,  Eli  Newman  and 
family,  Mrs.  Samuel  Lynch,  John 
Epley  and  wife,  the  Woods  and  the 
Turner  families.  Among  the  early 
preachers  were  David  Bulle,  Joseph 
Good,  and  J.  A.  Smith.  Johnstown 
was  on  the  Patterson  Circuit,  and  was 
served  in  1861  by  Joseph  Wykes; 
REV.  O.  L.  CURL,  PASTOR.  in  1862,  by  Joseph  Wykes  and  Silas 
B.  Maltbie;  in  1863,  by  W.  K.  Peck  and  H.  J.  Bigley.  That  year 
there  was  a  great  revival  and  ingathering,  some  of  the  families  of 
which  still  remain.  In  1861  the  preachers  were  W.  J.  Peck  and 
T.  J.  Mather.  In  1865  it  was  placed  on  the  Dunkirk  Circuit,  and 
W.  J.  Peck  was  pastor.  He  was  called  from  labor  to  his  reward 
in  1866.  At  the  next  Conference  the  Johnstown  Mission  was  or- 
ganized, and  J.  S.  DeLisle  was  appointed  to  it. 

The  meetings  were  now  held  in  the  Presbyterian  Church.  They 
had  hitherto  been  held  in  the  schoolhouse  on  the  corner  of  Main 
and  Montfort  Streets.  It  was  in  this  same  schoolhouse  that  H.  S. 
Lehr  taught  his  first  select  school,  which  developed  into  the  Normal 
School  and  later  into  the  Ohio  Northern  University,  after  the  Cen- 
tral Ohio  Conference  bought  it  from  Professor  Lehr. 

162 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.       163 

In  the  second  year  of  Rev.  DeLisle's  pastorate — that  is,  1868 — 
the  old  church  was  built.  It  was  a  capacious,  two-story  building 
and  comfortably  housed  the  growing  congregation  until  the  present 


FIRST  CHURCH,  ADA,  O. 

beautiful  structure  was  erected.  The  preachers  here  when  the 
church  was  in  process  of  erection  were  S.  L.  Boyer  and  John  I. 
Wean. 

J.  T.  Cunningham  came  to  Ada  in  1872.  He  was  foremost  in 
all  that  tended  to  advance  the  interests  of  the  Church  until  his 
death,  in  1911.  In  addition  to  the  many  other  large  gifts,  he  pre- 
sented the  congregation  with  one  of  the  lots  on  which  the  new 
church  now  stands. 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


At  the  present  time  the  Church  has  a  membership  of  nearly 
eight  hundred. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Ada  is  more  largely  re- 
sponsible for  the  religious  tone  of  both  the  university  and  the  town 
than  any  other  institution  in  the  town,  and  her  increasing  member- 
ship and  crowded  galleries  are  an  indication  that  she  is  accomplish- 
ing her  mission. 

The  Rev.  O.  L.  Curl  is  the  present  popular  pastor. 

ANNA  CHARGE. 

This  charge  has  three  appointments — Anna,  Botkin,  and  Wesley 
Chapel.  We  are  indebted  for  the  facts  concerning  the  early  history 

of  these  societies  to  a  very 
carefully  prepared  historical 
record  left  by  Rev.  David  F. 
Helms,  pastor  of  Anna  Circuit 
from  1883  to  1886. 

In  February,  1842,  Rev. 
Samuel  Lynch  came  to  the 
neighborhood  eight  miles  north 
of  Sidney,  Ohio,  and  stopped 
at  the  home  of  Mr.  Munch 
and  organized  the  first  Meth- 
odist society  in  that  neighbor- 
hood, called  "Munch's  Class." 
A  few  years  later  a  hewed-log 
church  was  built  about  one- 
eighth  of  a  mile  north  of  the 

present    site    of    the    town    of 
REV.  JOHN  W.  MILLER,  PASTOR.  Anna^    and    the    name    of    the 

society  was  changed  to  Mt.  Gilead   Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

In  1858  the  log  house  at  "Mt.  Gilead,"  now  Anna,  was  torn 
away,  and,  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Patrick  G.  Goode,  a  frame 
church,  30  x  40  feet,  was  erected  on  the  site  of  the  log  church ;  and 
it  was  dedicated  that  year  by  Rev.  T.  H.  Wilson. 

A  list  of  the  preachers  who  preached  at  one  or  more  of  the 
above  named  three  societies  is  quite  interesting.  Prior  to  1860  the 
record  gives  the  names  of  Clark,  Sutton,  Kemper,  Walker,  War- 
nock,  Brown,  Berry,  Stephen  D.  Shaffer,  H.  O.  Shelden,  T.  H. 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        165 

Wilson,  Brandeburg,  John  S.  Kalb,  A.  Harmount,  J.  S.  Albright, 
A.  Foster,  M.  R.  Hebbard,  Baker,  L.  C.  Webster,  G.  Lease,  N.  B.  C. 
Love,  and  Patrick  G.  Goode. 


ANNA  CHURCH  AND  PARSONAGE. 

In  1884,  Rev.  David  F.  Helms,  pastor,  the  fourth  Quarterly 
Conference  appointed  as  a  Building  Committee  for  a  new  church 
at  Anna  the  following:  S.  D.  Young,  P.  W.  Young,  Daniel  Curtner, 
F.  S.  Thirkield,  J.  W.  Davis,  Wilson  Dill,  and  R.  D.  Mede.  Under 
the  direction  of  these  brethren  the  present  beautiful  modern  brick 
church  was  erected,  and  dedicated  February  6,  1887,  by  Dr.  J.  H. 
Bayliss,  editor  of  the  Western  Christian  Advocate. 

BOTKINS  CHURCH. 

About  1834  a  Methodist  society  was  organized  at  the  house 
of  Richard  Botkin,  in  Dinsmore  Township,  in  the  northern  part 
of  Shelby  County,  Ohio. 

According  to  tradition,  this  society  was  organized  by  Rev.  D.  D. 
Davidson  and  Rev.  James  Smith,  the  class  consisting  of  Richard 
Botkin  and  wife,  Henry  Hilbrant  and  wife,  and  a  few  others. 
The  house  of  Richard  Botkin  (from  whom  the  present  village  of 


166  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

Botkins  was  named)  was  the  meeting  place  of  the  society  for  a 
number  of  years. 

In  1841  the  Botkin  society  erected  a  hewed-log  church,  30x40 
feet.  This  structure  was  used  for  a  church  until  1860,  when  the 
society  built  a  frame  church  (still  standing,  and  now  used  by  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church  as  a  schoolhouse).  This  church  was  dedi- 
cated by  Rev.  T.  H.  Wilson,  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Patrick 
G.  Goode. 

In  1861  Rev.  Harrison  Maltbie  was  sent  to  Hardin  Circuit, 
in  which  was  included  Anna  and  Botkins,  called  respectively  "Mt. 
Gilead"  and  "Asbury."  By  these  names  these  two  societies  appear 
for  a  number  of  years  in  the  Annual  Conference  records. 

The  present  church  at  Botkins,  a  brick  structure,  was  built 
and  dedicated  1872-73. 

WESLEY  CHAPEL. 

Rev.  Thomas  Simms,  while  pastor  of  Bellefontaine  Circuit,  in 
1833,  came  into  this  community  at  the  solicitation  of  some  Meth- 
odist families  and  preached  a  sermon  and  organized  a  class  of 
seven  members  at  the  home  of  Philip  Young,  Sr.  Those  who  com- 
posed the  class  were  Philip  Young,  Sr.,  and  wife,  Adam  Young,  Sr., 
and  wife,  John  M.  Wilson  and  wife,  and  Mrs.  Isaac  Bogard. 

About  1844  the  society  erected  a  frame  church  building,  which 
they  named  Wesley  Chapel,  located  about  three  miles  east  of  Anna. 
This  was  replaced  by  a  good  modern  building  in  1893,  which  was 
dedicated  by  Dr.  Earl  Cranston,  now  bishop. 

From  this  rural  Church  have  come  three  men  who  entered  the 
Conference  and  gave  years  of  faithful  service  to  the  Church:  Rev. 
Jason  Young,  Rev.  Philip  Lemasters,  and  Rev.  Valentine  Staley. 
Also  three -local  preachers:  Rev.  William  Young,  Rev.  Philip  Le- 
masters, Sr.,  and  Rev.  Peter  Young. 

ANSONIA. 

Ansonia,  formerly  called  Dallas,  had  Methodist  services  as  early 
as  1859,  when  it  was  a  part  of  Versailles  Circuit;  and  there  is  a 
memory  among  the  people  of  the  place  that  in  1839  the  Ohio  Con- 
ference appointed  a  preacher  by  the  name  of  Edward  Williams 
to  preach  in  that  vicinity.  In  1863  Ansonia  was  a  part  of  Hill 
Grove  Circuit,  and  in  1870  it  was  connected  with  Wabash  Circuit. 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        167 

In  1872  Dallas  Circuit  was  organized,  the  Rev.  R.  D.  Oldfield, 
pastor,  and  consisted  of  Ansonia  (Dallas),  Webster  Chapel,  Raper 
Chapel,  Union,  and  Dawn. 

Until  the  year  1873  the  society  held  services  in  the  old  school- 
house  and  in  the  Christian  Church,  when  a  brick  building  was 
erected,  and  dedicated  in  October  of  that  year  by  the  Rev.  W.  G. 
Waters,  D.  D.,  presiding  elder  of  the  Belief ontaine  District,  the 
Rev.  E.  D.  Whitlock  being  pastor.  The  building  cost  about  $3,500. 

The  week  following  the  dedication  the  pastor  called  together 
the  officiary  of  the  circuit,  and  a  parsonage  was  purchased.  Some 
of  the  official  members  of  the  Church  at  that  date  were  Monroe 
Glick  (a  local  preacher),  Noah  Poling,  Samuel  Kenhner,  W.  H. 
Fry,  and  Dr.  Hooven.  At  this  time  there  were  but  few  gravel 
pikes  in  the  country,  the  roads  by  which  the  various  appointments 
were  reached  being  "mud"  roads. 

Dawn,  a  village  some  three  miles  east  of  Ansonia,  on  the  Big 
Four  Railroad,  a  Sabbath  evening  appointment,  was  reached  by 
hand-car,  which  the  section  boss,  a  generous  Catholic,  loaned  to  the 
pastor,  and  which  was  pumped  down  to  the  service  by  young  men 
of  the  village,  who  kindly  proffered  their  muscle  and  wind  to  save 
the  preacher  a  long  ride  by  a  circuitous  route. 

In  1899,  during  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  J.  S.  Snodgrass,  steps 
were  taken  towards  the  enlargement  and  remodeling  of  the  church 
building,  and  in  the  following  year  the  Rev.  J.  T.  Pope,  pastor, 
some  $4,000  were  expended  in  greatly  improving  and  beautifying 
the  church.  Since  1900  Raper  Chapel  is  the  only  society  con- 
nected with  Ansonia,  Webster  Chapel  having  become  a  part  of 
Rossburg,  formerly  called  Rossville  Circuit,  and  Dawn  with  asso- 
ciation elsewhere,  and  Union  being  dropped.  During  the  pastorate 
of  the  Rev.  M.  M.  Markwith,  in  the  middle  nineties,  Raper  Chapel, 
Lightville  (which  succeeded  Webster  as  an  appointment),  and  Ross- 
burg,  each  built  new  churches.  Among  all  these  various  places 
Raper  Chapel  was  the  first  to  have  preaching  services,  which  was 
in  1835,  in  the  house  of  Samuel  E.  Carter,  and  at  that  time  a  class 
was  organized.  In  1856  the  Rev.  John  S.  Kalb,  presiding  elder  of 
the  Sidney  District,  Central  Ohio  Conference,  the  Rev.  Harry  O. 
Sheldon  was  preacher  in  charge. 

The  pastors  of  the  circuit  have  been:  R.  D.  Oldfield,  E.  D. 
Whitlock,  T.  L.  Reade,  Philip  Lemasters,  John  R.  Colgan,  E.  E. 


168 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


McLaughlin,  M.  M.  Markwith,  J.  W.  Hodge,  C.  G.  Smith,  J.  S. 
Snodgrass,  J.  T.  Pope,  W.  N.  Roberts,  and  J.  D.  Simms.  The 
presiding  elders  and  district  superintendents  have  been,  since  the 
organization  of  the  circuit:  W.  G.  Waters,  S.  L.  Roberts,  Joseph 
Ayres,  Oliver  Kennedy,  L.  A.  Belt,  E.  D.  Whitlock,  A.  J.  Fish, 
T.  H.  Campbell,  C.  H.  Havighurst,  and  D.  H.  Bailey. 

BELLEFONTAINE  CHURCH. 

Reliable  and  authentic  sources  from  which  to  glean  the  early 
history  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Belief ontaine  are 
lacking. 

The  Rev.  John  Strange,  who  was  widely  known  as  a  pioneer 
preacher  in  Indiana  and  Ohio,  is  said  to  have  preached  the  first 
Methodist  sermon  in  this  region,  about  the  year  1816,  in  the  old 
town  of  Belleville,  located  south  of  the  present  site  of  the  Logan 


BELLEFONTAINE  CHURCH. 

County  fairgrounds.  He  was  a  frequent  guest  in  the  log  cabin  of 
Samuel  Carter,  south  of  town.  The  town  of  Bellefontaine  was 
laid  out  in  1818  by  William  Powell,  and  soon  outstripped  its  rival 
and  became  the  center  of  missionary  operation  in  Logan  County. 
Such  men  as  the  Rev.  James  B.  Finley  and  the  Rev.  Russel  Bige- 
low,  whose  fame  as  great  preachers  and  heroic  missionaries  in  the 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.       169 

primeval  wilderness  of  Ohio  will  never  be  forgotten,  were  frequent 
visitors  in  these  parts,  and  did  effective  work  in  laying  the  founda- 
tion of  Methodism  in  this  vicinity. 

The  first  church  building,  or,  as  it  was  then  called,  meeting- 
house, was  a  little  brick  structure,  20  x  25  feet,  located  on  West 
Chillicothe  Street.  The  lot  was  conveyed  by  Samuel  Newell  to 
the  trustees  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  for  $55,  the  date 
of  the  deed  being  December  18,  1826.  The  church  was  then  in 
process  of  erection  and  was  completed  early  in  1827.  The  trustees 
were  Robert  Casebolt,  David  Segar,  John  Bishop,  Jacob  Foster, 
Jacob  Stanley,  John  Carpenter,  Samuel  Carter,  John  Powell,  and 
Wm.  Stanfield. 

The  first  Quarterly  Conference  record  we  have  been  able  to  find 
dates  back  to  December  7,  1833,  William  H.  Raper,  presiding  elder, 
and  Thomas  Sims,  preacher  in  charge.  The  total  amount  con- 
tributed by  the  ten  or  more  appointments  for  the  preacher's  salary 
during  that  year  was  $99.54.  Noah  Z.  McColloch  was  the  re- 
cording steward.  Among  the  members  at  this  early  date  whose 
names  are  familiar  were  Robert  Casebolt,  Lemuel  G.  Collet,  Samuel 
Carter,  Rachel  Mayse,  James  Starr,  Noah  Z.  McColloch,  and  Isaac 
S.  Gardner. 

Robert  Casebolt  was  an  effective  local  preacher,  and  his  ex- 
emplary life  and  jealous  zeal  for  the  cause  of  God  are  still  enshrined 
in  the  memory  of  many.  Rev.  John  Shepherd,  father  of  Mrs. 
A.  M.  Roebuck  and  Mrs.  Josiah  Shuffelton,  who  had  been  ordained 
in  early  life  by  Bishop  Asbury,  and  whose  earnest  labors  as  a  local 
preacher  are  still  frequently  mentioned,  removed  here  with  his 
family  in  1834.  Bellefontaine  was  then  included  in  a  large  circuit 
of  many  appointments:  West  Liberty,  Zanesfield,  Logansville, 
Cherokee,  Roundhead,  Rushsylvania,  Rum  Creek,  Messick's  Meet- 
ing House,  and  other  points  scattered  over  the  territory  now  called 
Logan  County. 

The  first  Methodist  parsonage,  located  on  lot  No.  172,  now 
occupied  by  the  residence  of  Dr.  W.  W.  Hamer,  was  bought  of 
Adam  Minear,  September  24,  1837.  In  1839,  during  the  pastorate 
of  the  Rev.  Wm.  Morrow,  a  new  and  larger  church  was  built  upon 
the  site  of  the  old  edifice,  costing  $1,139.  He  was  supported  in 
the  enterprise  by  a  zealous  body  of  men,  foremost  among  whom 


170  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

were  Lemuel  G.  Collett,  Noah  Z.  McColloch,  Daniel  Hopkins, 
James  Starr,  Jonathan  Seamen,  and  Isaac  S.  Gardner.  The  church 
was  completed  and  dedicated  in  184-0,  the  sermon  being  preached 
by  the  Rev.  Adam  Poe. 

Bellefontaine  was  made  a  station  in  1847,  during  the  pastorate 
of  the  Rev.  Samuel  L.  Yourtee,  and  from  that  time  the  work  of 
the  Church  was  blessed  with  increasing  growth  and  prosperity. 
A  division  occurred  in  1853,  while  the  Rev.  David  Rutledge  was 
pastor,  the  congregation  worshiping  in  the  old  church  calling  itself 
First  Charge,  and  the  other  calling  itself  Second  Charge  and  wor- 
shiping for  a  short  time  in  the  little  brick  church  which  was  located 
back  of  the  present  African  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  re- 
cently torn  down.  The  Second  Charge  soon  projected  a  church 
edifice  and  located  it  on  the  southwest  corner  of  Main  Street  and 
Sandusky  Avenue.  The  congregation  was  not  a  wealthy  one,  and 
it  was  only  after  hard  work  and  the  most  rigorous  self-denial  that 
they  finally  brought  their  handsome  church  to  completion  at  a  cost 
of  $7,000.  The  Rev.  David  Rutledge  was  pastor,  and  was  earnestly 
supported  by  such  men  as  Anson  Brown,  Hamilton  B.  Short,  Daniel 
Stephenson,  J.  O.  Butler,  Thomas  Miltenberger,  Joseph  Chambers, 
and  S.  L.  Taylor.  J.  O.  Butler  is  the  only  one  of  these  now  living. 
The  church  was  dedicated  June  17,  1855,  the  sermon  being  preached 
by  the  Rev.  Davis  Clark,  D.  D.,  then  editor  of  the  Ladies'  Re- 
pository. The  newspapers  of  that  time  were  not  very  profuse  in 
their  reports  of  local  enterprises.  The  only  paper  that  gave  any 
mention  of  the  dedicatory  services  was  the  Bellefontaine  Republican, 
in  the  issue  of  June  22,  1855.  The  following  is  the  brief  notice, 
occupying  seven  lines,  a  sample  of  journalism  in  the  fifties:  "At 
the  dedication  of  the  new  church  last  Sabbath,  $1,500  was  sub- 
scribed to  meet  the  indebtedness,  and  but  $500  more  remains  to 
be  raised  to  pay  the  whole  expense  of  this  magnificent  structure. 
This,  we  conclude,  is  a  favorable  state  of  things  for  those  most 
directly  interested.  One  more  peep  at  the  stars  and  the  day  is 
yours." 

The  two  charges  were  consolidated  in  1858,  at  the  conclusion 
of  the  pastorates  of  the  Rev.  Franklin  Marriott  and  the  Rev.  Oliver 
Kennedy.  The  Rev.  Thomas  Parker  was  the  first  pastor  of  the 
united  congregations.  His  deeply  spiritual  and  magnetic  eloquence 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        171 

is  still  remembered  by  many  of  his  old  parishioners.  The  Church 
now  entered  upon  a  period  of  great  prosperity.  The  pastoral  term 
was  increased  to  three  years  in  1864,  and  for  five  successive  pas- 
torates the  full  term  was  served,  namely,  the  Revs.  Wesley  G. 
Waters,  L.  A.  Belt,  Isaac  Newton,  S.  L.  Roberts,  and  E.  D.  Whit- 
lock.  Since  1863,  with  the  exception  of  two  years,  there  has  not 
been  a  pastorate  of  less  than  three  years'  duration. 

In  the  autumn  of  1885,  during  the  Rev.  Isaac  Newton's  second 
pastorate,  occurred  what  is  known  as  the  great  "Bitler  Revival," 
which  resulted  in  about  two  hundred  accessions  to  the  Church.  The 
church  building  now  became  inadequate  to  accommodate  the  growing 
congregation.  A  new  church  was  talked  of,  and  subscriptions  were 
solicited  by  Brother  Newton.  In  September,  1886,  Rev.  J.  L. 
Albritton  was  appointed  his  successor.  From  the  very  beginning 
Brother  Albritton  with  his  wonted  energy  urged  the  building  of  a 
new  church.  A  soliciting  committee  was  accordingly  appointed, 
consisting  of  John  B.  Williams,  J.  O.  Sweet,  and  Joseph  Colton. 
The  original  plan  was  to  build  a  $20,000  church  on  the  site  of  the 
old  edifice,  but  the  trustees  finally  concluded  to  purchase  the 
Davidson  lot,  on  the  opposite  corner,  which  would  afford  them 
more  room  to  build  a  larger  and  finer  structure.  Under  the  wise 
and  energetic  administration  of  Brother  Albritton,  assisted  by  a 
faithful  Church  and  an  efficient  Building  Committee,  consisting  of 
J.  M.  Williamson,  John  B.  Williams,  Robert  Colton,  Alfred  Butler, 
and  E.  J.  Short,  the  present  magnificent  edifice  was  brought  to 
completion  at  a  cost  of  $40,000.  The  dedicatory  services  were 
held  Sunday,  June  23,  1889,  Bishop  John  P.  Newman  preaching 
the.  sermon.  It  was  a  great  occasion,  fully  1,600  people  being 
present,  and,  under  the  efficient  management  of  Presiding  Elder 
L.  A.  Belt,  $9,000  were  raised  in  subscriptions  to  cover  the  total 
indebtedness. 

All  bore  nobly  their  part  of  the  financial  burden,  and  many  con- 
tributions, especially  among  the  smaller  amounts,  involved  the 
severest  self-denial  and  were  given  with  tears  of  gratitude.  Never, 
perhaps,  was  a  church  built  with  so  little  friction.  All  entered  into 
the  enterprise  enthusiastically  and  thus  built  for  themselves  this 
beautiful  memorial.  Robert  Colton,  Joseph  Colton,  J.  B.  Williams, 
Alfred  Butler,  J.  M.  Williamson,  and  others,  together  with  the 


172  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

pastor,  gladly  sacrificed  time  and  much  energy  in  the  management 
of  the  finances  and  the  supervision  ot  the  work  of  church  building. 
The  architect  of  the  church  was  Wm.  Kauffman,  of  Pittsburgh,  Pa., 
son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  Kauffman,  of  Bellefontaine.  It  is  in 
many  respects  one  of  the  finest  church  edifices  within  the  bounds  of 
the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

Four  times  within  the  history  of  the  Church  has  the  Annual 
Conference  held  its  sessions  in  Bellefontaine.  The  first  convened 
August  30,  1865,  Bishop  Thomas  A.  Morris  presiding;  the  second, 
September  26,  1877,  Bishop  Matthew  Simpson  presiding;  the  third, 
September  9,  1886,  under  the  presidency  of  Bishop  John  M. 
Walden,  and  the  fourth,  September,  1896,  Bishop  Charles  H. 
Fowler  presiding. 

The  Church  has  had  the  distinction  of  having  three  of  its  mem- 
bers represent  the  Central  Ohio  Conference  in  the  General  Confer- 
ence. 

Judge  Wm.  Lawrence  was  unusually  honored  in  being  elected 
repeatedly  as  a  lay  delegate  to  that  body:  to  the  General  Conference 
at  Brooklyn,  in  1872;  at  Philadelphia,  in  1876;  at  Cincinnati,  in 
1880,  and  at  Omaha,  in  1892.  In  all  of  these  Conferences  his 
reputation  as  a  lawyer,  jurist,  and  statesman  won  for  him  dis- 
tinguished recognition  and  gave  him  a  commanding  influence.  On 
the  floor  of  the  Conference,  as  in  the  committee  room,  he  was 
always  prominent  in  the  discussion  of  the  great  constitutional  ques- 
tions of  the  Church. 

John  B.  Williams  was  elected  to  the  General  Conference  which 
convened  in  New  York  in  1888,  and  proved  himself  worthy  of  the 
honor  conferred  upon  him;  and  Robt.  Colton  to  the  General  Con- 
ference of  1900,  in  Chicago. 

Dr.  C.  R.  Havighurst,  at  present  pastor  of  a  large  and  promi- 
nent Church  in  Youngstown,  Ohio,  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  this 
excellent  history  of  the  Church,  was  the  pastor  in  Bellefontaine 
in  the  early  nineties. 

In  1891  the  Church  gave  $1,339  to  missions,  of  which  $1,010 
was  contributed  by  the  Church  and  Sunday  school,  and  $329  by 
the  Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society.  For  a  number  of  years 
the  Church  enjoyed  the  distinction  of  being  the  banner  missionary 
Church  in  the  Conference. 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        173 

MINISTERS    OF    THE    CHURCH,    PRESIDING    ELDERS,    AND    DISTRICT 
SUPERINTENDENTS. 

Pastors:  Levi  White;  George  Gotch;  Thomas  Beachman; 
Joshua  Boucher ;  John  W.  Clarke  and  James  B.  Finley ;  Robt.  W. 
Finley  and  Wm.  Sutton;  John  G.  Bruce,  John  Stewart  and  Peter 
Sharp;  W.  M.  Sullivan  and  Thomas  Sims;  Wm.  S.  Morrow  and 
Wesley  Brock;  Stephen  H.  Holland  and  Wm.  J.  Elsworth;  Adam 
Minnear  and  John  W.  Steele;  Daniel  D.  Davidson  and  John  W. 
Stone;  William  Morrow  and  Abram  B.  Waumbaugh;  Jacob  Brown; 
David  Warnock  and  Wm.  Nickerson;  Samuel  Lynch  and  Geo.  S. 
Phillips ;  Wm.  Spafford ;  Robert  S.  Kimlen  and  Wm.  Boggs ; 
Mathew  L.  Starr  and  Alex.  Harmount;  Samuel  L.  Yourtee  and 
Elisha  Hook:  Joseph  Jones,  Jacob  T.  Caples,  David  Rutledge, 
Thomas  H.  Wilson,  Joseph  Wykes,  Franklin  Marriott,  Wm.  W. 
Winter,  David  Rutledge,  H.  S.  Bradley,  Jas.  W.  Fribley,  Oliver 
Kennedy,  Thomas  Parker,  John  S.  Kalb,  Chas.  W.  Ketcham, 
Samuel  Lynch,  Wesley  G.  Waters,  Leroy  A.  Belt,  Isaac  Newton, 
Samuel  L.  Roberts,  E.  D.  Whitlock,  Gershom  Lease,  Oliver  Ken- 
nedy, E.  D.  Whitlock,  Isaac  Newton,  J.  L.  Albritton,  C.  R.  Havig- 
hurst,  J.  M.  Mills,  T.  H.  Campbell,  Jesse  Swank,  M.  M.  Figley, 
J.  F.  Olive,  and  C.  C.  Peale. 

Presiding  Elders  and  District  Superintendents:  J.  B.  Finley, 
Sandusky  District,  Ohio  Conference;  John  Callins,  Miami  District, 
Ohio  Conference;  J.  B.  Finley,  Lebanon  District,  Ohio  Conference; 
John  F.  Wright,  Lebanon  District,  Ohio  Conference;  Wm.  H. 
Raper,  Lebanon  District,  Ohio  Conference,  for  one  year,  and  on 
the  Urbana  District  for  two  years ;  Robert  O.  Spencer,  Urbana  Dis- 
trict, Ohio  Conference;  Zachariah  Connee,  Urbana  District,  Ohio 
Conference;  Wm.  S.  Morrow,  Bellefontaine  District,  North  Ohio 
Conference. 

For  the  next  nineteen  years  the  Sidney  District  appears  in  the 
Minutes  of  the  Conference,  twelve  of  which  were  in  the  North  Ohio, 
four  in  the  Delaware,  and  three  in  the  Central  Ohio  Conference, 
with  Samuel  P.  Shaw,  Wesley  Brock,  Hiram  M.  Shaffer,  John  S. 
Kalb,  and  Alexander  Harmount  as  presiding  elders.  The  name  then 
changed  to  the  Bellefontaine  District,  Central  Ohio  Conference, 
with  Joseph  Ayres,  Joseph  Wykes,  Wesley  G.  Waters,  Samuel  L. 
Roberts,  Oliver  Kennedy,  Leroy  A.  Belt,  E.  D.  Whitlock,  And.  J. 


174  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

Fish,  T.  H.  Campbell,  as  presiding  elders,  and  C.  R.  Havighurst 
and  D.  H.  Bailey  as  district  superintendents. 

BETTSVILLE  CHURCH. 

The  Bettsville  society  was  formerly  a  part  of  the  Port  Clinton 
Mission. 

In  1851  the  territorj'  comprising  Bettsville  was  known  as  the 
Seneca  Mission. 

Newell  J.  Close  was  appointed  pastor  of  the  mission  in  1851, 
and  received  $174.  The  charge  is  now  composed  of  Bettsville, 
Fort  Seneca,  Kansas,  and  Amsden.  At  an  early  date  in  the  history 
of  Bettsville  it  was  connected  with  Lower  Sandusky  (Fremont), 
and  was  served  by  ministers  of  the  North  Ohio  Conference. 

Like  all  other  appointments  in  the  early  days  of  Methodism,  it 
has  undergone  many  changes  of  relation,  and  as  no  consecutive 
account  of  the  society  has  been  kept,  it  is  impossible  to  give  the 
history  of  the  Church  in  this  place. 

The  Annual  Conference  Minutes  afford  some  information  con- 
cerning the  names  of  pastors,  the  following  appearing  in  the  list: 
J.  Brakefield,  James  Milligan,  J.  T.  Caples,  Jonas  Adams,  Lorenzo 
Rogers,  Richard  Biggs,  David  Bulle,  John  W.  Hill,  Sr.,  L.  O. 
Cook,  Philip  Lemasters,  N.  S.  Brackney,  Oramil  Sheeves,  J.  S. 
Snodgrass,  A.  Barker,  S.  W.  Scott,  C.  S.  Barren,  T.  J.  Engle. 

All  the  societies  worship  in  good  church  buildings,  and  the 
circuit  is  provided  with  a  new  and  very  commodious  parsonage, 
located  at  Bettsville,  and  erected  under  the  pastorate  of  C.  S. 
Barren. 

BOWLING  GREEN  CHURCH. 

[We  are  indebted  to  the  late  Mr.  Samuel  Case,  of  Bowling  Green,  and  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Lura 
W.  Callin,  for  this  historical  sketch.— EDITOR.] 

Along  in  the  early  twenties  the  itinerant  Methodist  preachers 
began  work  in  this  neighborhood,  preaching  in  the  cabins  and  the 
primitive  schoolhouses,  wherever  a  few  pioneers  were  willing  to 
gather  together  to  listen  to  their  messages.  The  house  of  Joseph 
Sargent,  near  Portage,  became  a  regular  preaching  place,  as  did 
also  the  home  of  Robert  Barr,  in  Center  Township,  the  site  of  the 
old  house  being  within  the  city  limits  of  Bowling  Green. 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        175 

Later  on  a  schoolhouse,  situated  on  the  Napoleon  road,  near 
Main  Street,  became  a  permanent  preaching  center,  and  the  Rev. 
I.  Tracy  (a  local  preacher,  and  the  father  of  I.  R.  Tracy,  of  To- 
ledo), Joshua  Carr,  and  others,  ministered  to  the  little  class,  of 
which  John  Sargent  and  wife,  Joseph  Sargent  and  wife,  and  Wil- 
liam Hunter  and  wife  were  among  the  members. 

Bowling  Green  received  its  first  regular  ministry  in  1836,  from 
Revs.  Alanson  Fleming  and  Wesley  Shortis,  who  were  the  preachers 
on  the  Waterville  Mission,  which  included  then  Wood,  Lucas, 
Henry,  Hancock,  Ottawa,  and  San- 
dusky  Counties.  Rev.  John  Janes  was 
presiding  elder.  There  were  at  that 
time  224  members  on  the  circuit,  but 
eight  years  later  there  were  but  104; 
the  situation  may  be  understood  by 
the  following  incident :  In  1843  Rev. 
Charles  Thomas  came  to  the  Water- 
ville Mission,  but,  after  spending  one 
night  at  the  home  of  Father  Pray  and 
discussing  the  work,  he  left  before 
daylight  the  next  morning,  with  the 
parting  message  that  if  he  must  starve, 
or  die  of  chills  and  fever,  he  preferred  REV-  JACOB  A.  HOFFMAN,  PASTOR. 
a  natural  death  and  burial  at  Jeromeville,  Wayne  County,  Ohio. 

But  there  was  a  brave  and  gallant  force  whose  nerve  did  not 
fail  them  in  facing  the  terrors  of  the  "Black  Swamp"  in  behalf  of 
the  struggling  pioneers  for  the  sake  of  our  Lord  and  Master,  and 
we  find  among  these  hardy  pioneer  itinerants  the  names  of  Elnathan 
C.  Gavitt,  L.  B.  Gurley,  James  A.  Kellam,  John  Janes,  Wesley 
Brock,  S.  B.  Guiberson,  Oliver  Burgess,  Rolla  H.  Chubb,  E.  R. 
Hills,  Horatio  Bradley,  John  T.  Kellam,  Austin  Coleman,  Ira 
Chase,  Elijah  H.  Pilcher,  John  L.  Johnson,  Samuel  L.  Yourtee, 
John  A.  Shannon,  Thomas  Barkdull,  W.  W.  Winter,  and  Luke 
Johnson. 

The  first  Sunday  school  was  organized  in  Bowling  Green  in 
1838  by  Rev.  Austin  Coleman,  with  Henry  Lundy  as  first  librarian. 

The  first  church  building  was  erected  in  1846,  on  the  site  now 
occupied  by  the  Church  of  Christ,  at  the  corner  of  Main  and  Wash- 
ington Streets.  Rev.  Joseph  O.  Shannon  was  pastor  in  charge,  and 


176 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


Thomas  N.  Barkdull  the  junior  preacher.  This  old  building,  the 
only  place  of  worship  in  town  for  many  years,  and  the  cradle  of 
each  of  the  leading  Church  organizations  of  the  town,  was  burned 
after  being  removed  from  the  original  site;  the  parsonage,  pur- 
chased in  1856  and  located  across  the  street  from  the  church,  is 
still  standing. 

In  1866  this  property  was  sold  to  the  Congregational  society. 
A  new  site  was   secured   at  the  corner  of  Wooster   and  Prospect 


BOWLING  GREEN  CHURCH. 

Streets,  preparations  were  made  to  build  a  larger  and  more  com- 
modious structure.  These  preparations  were  seriously  hindered  by 
the  county  seat  contest,  which  overtaxed  the  little  community's 
financial  resources  in  the  building  of  a  new  courthouse,  so  it  was 
not  until  1871  that  the  corner-stone  was  laid  in  the  foundation, 
which  had  been  in  slow  preparation  for  several  years.  Rev.  Willis- 
ton  officiated  at  this  ceremony,  and  Chaplain  C.  C.  McCabe  dedi- 
cated the  church  in  1872,  also  giving  his  famous  lecture,  "Bright 
Side  of  Life  in  Libby  Prison,"  to  help  swell  the  building  fund.  At 
this  time  Thomas  N.  Barkdull  was  the  pastor  in  charge  and  was 
finishing  the  allotted  term  of  three  years'  service,  to  the  sorrow  of 
the  small  but  courageous  little  society  which  had  profited  so  much 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        1 77 

by  his  kindness  and  wisdom.  He  had  been  preceded  by  Fielding 
L.  Harper,  who  was  appointed  here  in  1865,  but  died  February  22, 
1866,  aged  thirty-five  years.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  John 
Poucher  in  1866,  who  remained  until  the  fall  of  1868,  when  John 
Kalb  came  for  one  year. 

The  following  are  the  names  of  the  preachers  serving  from 
1852  to  the  present  time:  Frederick  W.  Vaticon,  Nelson  B.  Wilson, 
Ambrose  Hollington,  Henry  L.  Nickerson,  Joseph  O.  Shannon, 
Martin  Perkey,  Samuel  L.  Roberts,  Josiah  Adams,  John  A.  Shan- 
non, Jason  Wilcox,  Gershom  Lease,  I.  N.  Kalb,  Joseph  Good,  Field- 
ing L.  Harper,  John  Poucher,  John  Kalb,  T.  N.  Barkdull',  D.  R. 
Cook,  L.  M.  Albright,  Adam  C.  Barnes,  I.  N.  Smith,  Richard 
Wallace,  I.  D.  Simms,  N.  B.  C.  Love,  L.  E.  Prentice,  G.  H.  Priddy, 
C.  W.  Taneyhill,  W.  H.  Scoles,  J.  W.  Holland,  W.  W.  Lance, 
George  Matthews,  Stewart  C.  Wright,  F.  H.  Essert,  A.  J.  Fish, 
A.  R.  Custar,  and  J.  A.  Hoffman.  These  make  the  complete  list 
of  faithful  and  competent  men  that  have  served  this  Church  during 
the  past  half  a  century,  each  leaving  the  impress  of  his  ideal  of  the 
divine  attainments  and  its  demonstration  in  real  life,  and  all  adding 
something  to  the  composite  result  attained  at  the  present  time. 

It  was  during  the  -pastorate  of  the  Rev.  J.  W.  Holland  that 
plans  were  laid  for  the  building  of  a  new  structure  better  adapted 
to  the  needs  of  the  growing  congregation  and  Sunday  school,  which 
finally  materialized  in  the  present  beautiful  church. 

This  new  church  was  dedicated  December  10,  1899,  by  Bishop 
C.  H.  Fowler,  assisted  by  Dr.  J.  W.  Bashford,  president  of  the 
Ohio  Wesley  an  University,  and  the  pastor,  Stewart  C.  Wright. 

The  membership  of  the  Church  now  (1914)  numbers  725,  and 
the  Sunday  school  has  an  enrollment  of  more  than  one  thousand 
scholars,  each  enumeration  having  almost  doubled  in  the  last  five 
years,  during  the  pastorate  of  the  present  pastor,  Rev.  Jacob  A. 
Hoffman.  Bowling  Green  is  now  one  of  the  strong,  aggressive 
Churches  of  the  Conference. 

BRADNER  CHURCH. 

The  Methodist  Church  was  organized  in  Bradner  in   1866  by 
the  Rev.  Melvin  T.  Ayers,  a  member  of  the  North  Ohio  Conference 
since  Lakeside  was  transferred  to  that  Conference.    The  number  of 
members  constituting  the  original  roll  was  eighteen. 
12 


178  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

The  present  church  building  was  erected  in  1891,  under  the 
pastorate  of  Wilson  U.  Spencer,  deceased.  This  building  is  now 
being  remodeled  at  a  cost  of  about  $5,000. 

Bradner  was  an  appointment  on  the  Prairie  Depot  Circuit  until 
1898,  when  W.  T.  Dumm  became  the  first  resident  pastor,  with 
Portage  and  Bethel  as  outlying  appointments.  Within  the  next 

year  or  two  Portage  was  taken  off, 
and  Rollersville  became  a  part  of  the 
circuit. 

During  the  pastorate  of  J.  W. 
Miller  a  neat  and  comfortable  par- 
sonage was  built. 

The  membership  is  constantly 
changing,  because  the  town  is  in  an 
oil  region,  but  those  belonging  to  the 
Church  are  faithful  and  earnest  in 
service. 

Prior  to  the  organization  of  the 

Church     in     the     town     occasional 
REV.  ROBERT  E.  CARTER,  PASTOR. 

preaching  was  held,  which  led  to  the 

formation  of  the  society  in  the  year  mentioned. 

The  principal  mover  in  the  establishment  of  the  society  and 
the  erection  of  the  church  was  M.  E.  S.  James,  who  secured  nearly 
all  the  money  to  build  the  house  of  worship. 

The  pastors  serving  the  Church  have  been:  W.  T.  Dumm, 
J.  W.  Miller,  C.  A.  Moore,  S.  W.  Scott,  Geo.  A.  Whitlock,  and 
R.  E.  Carter. 

BRYAN  CHURCH  AND  WILLIAMS  COUNTY  METHODISM. 

Williams  County  was  created  by  legislative  enactment  in  1820, 
but  was  not  organized  until  1824.  At  that  time  there  were  few, 
if  any.  white  inhabitants  within  the  present  boundaries  of  Williams 
County;  however,  a  large  part  of  what  is  now  Defiance  County 
was  then  included  in  Williams,  and  in  1825  the  county  seat  was 
located  at  Defiance,  then  a  small  settlement  on  the  Maumee  River, 
near  Ft.  Defiance,  at  the  junction  of  the  Auglaize  and  Maumee 
Rivers. 

In  1826  a  call  went  up  from  this  settlement  to  the  Ohio  Con- 
ference of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  for  help;  and  in  re- 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        179 

sponse  Elias  Pattee  was  sent,  who  was  probably  the  first  Methodist 
preacher  sent  into  Northwestern  Ohio.  There  was  no  fixed  boun- 
dary to  his  field  of  labor;  it  was  limited  only  by  circumstances 
and  conditions,  which  were  continually  changing,  but  his  efforts 
and  influence  brought  gratifying  results. 

In  1833  Daniel  Colgan  settled  on  Bean  Creek,  within  the 
present  boundaries  of  Williams  County.  Other  settlers  came,  and 
they  applied  to  Defiance  for  preaching.  James  B.  Austin  came 
and  probably  preached  the  first  sermon,  and  formed  the  first  Meth- 
odist class  in  the  county,  at  the  home  of  Daniel  Colgan.  Other 
settlements  were  forming  in  the  county,  and  there  was  organized 
a  circuit,  to  which  various  names  were  given,  one  authority  calling 
it  the  "Bean  Creek  and  Pulaski  Mission,"  others  applying  the  title, 
"Lafayette  Circuit."  Whatever  name  may  be  applied  to  it,  the 
work  went  on. 

Henry  Warner  and  Austin  Coleman  were  the  first  men  regu- 
larly sent  out  from  Defiance  upon  the  circuit,  which  at  that  time 
embraced  all  of  what  is  now  Williams  County,  a  part  of  Fulton 
County,  and  Defiance  County,  and  even  extended  into  Indiana. 
The  presiding  elder's  district  embraced  all  of  Northwestern  Ohio. 

When  the  removal  of  the  county  seat  from  Defiance  to  some 
point  farther  north,  that  it  should  be  more  central,  was  being 
agitated,  settlements  were  being  formed  probably,  in  a  .measure  at 
least,  in  anticipation  of  the  transfer. 

At  that  time  a  class  was  formed  at  the  home  of  Thomas  Shorthill. 
The  class  was  composed  of  five  or  six  persons,  and  the  following 
is  the  first  entry  in  the  class  record:  "M.  E.  Church  Record,  1838, 
of  Pulaski  Mission,  Maumee  District,  Michigan  Conference.  Said 
Mission  was  created  from  the  old  Defiance  Circuit,  in  the  fall  of 
1838,  and  Thomas  Shorthill  elected  Recording  Stuard." 

With  the  transfer  of  the  county  seat  to  Bryan,  in  1841,  Bryan 
became  the  central  point  of  the  circuit,  and  in  1860  became  a 
station. 

Services  were  held  in  the  schoolhouse  and  in  the  courtroom  until 
in  1855,  when  a  building,  40x60  feet,  was  erected  at  a  cost  of 
$1,567-  In  1895  this  early  building  was  replaced  by  a  modern 
brick  structure  at  an  expense,  including  pipe  organ  and  furniture, 
of  approximately  $17,000. 

In    1012,   during   the   present   pastorate   of    Rev.    Webster    T. 


l8o  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

Stockstill,  the  church  was  redecorated  and  the  basement  greatly 
improved,  at  an  expense  of  $2,500. 

The  following  is  the  list  of  presiding  elders  and  preachers  from 
1838  to  1913:  Presiding  elders — John  Janes,  Wesley  Brock,  John 
T.  Kellam,  Thomas  Kellam,  Thomas  Barkdull,  C.  W.  Breckenridge, 
Wm.  Pierce,  David  Gray,  Joseph  Ayres,  Elnathan  C.  Gavitt,  Samuel 
Lynch,  Thomas  H.  Wilson,  Leroy  A.  Belt,  Park  S.  Donaldson, 
Wesley  G.  Waters,  Elias  D.  Whitlock,  S.  L.  Roberts,  Gershom 
Lease,  Parker  P.  Pope,  J.  M.  Mills,  J.  H.  Fitzwater,  Joseph 
Bethards,  Jonas  F.  Harshbarger,  David  H.  Bailey. 

Preachers — A.  Coleman  and  Harry  Warner,  missionaries ; 
Joseph  Santly  and  J.  H.  Freed,  missionaries :  Zara  Norton  and 
Orrin  Hatch,  missionaries;  S.  H.  Alderman,  John  L.  Ferris,  and 
Chester  Coleman,  preachers ;  Wm.  W.  Winter  and  Samuel  Mower, 
Wm.  Boggs  and  R.  H.  Wilson,  Alanson  Foster  and  H.  K.  Barnes, 
John  Burgess  and  S.  Fairchild,  Henry  Chapman  and  A.  H.  Walter, 
Benjamin  Herbert  and  John  S.  Cutler,  David  Ocker  and  John  A. 
Shannon,  Thomas  Parker  and  James  Wilcox,  J.  S.  Albright  and  E. 
Lindsey,  J.  W.  Thompson,  Henry  Warner  and  H.  C.  Nickelson, 
J.  H.  Beardsley,  Wm.  Thatcher  and  D.  D.  S.  Reigh,  John  H. 
Miller,  E.  Morrison  and  Ambrose  Hollington,  H.  M.  Close,  A.  M. 
Corey,  F.  L.  Harper,  Wesley  G.  Waters,  John  L.  Bates.  P.  A. 
Brown,  H,  J.  Bigley,  James  F.  Mounts,  Wm.  H.  Deal,  Wm.  W. 
Lance,  Daniel  G.  Strong,  Wm.  H.  Scoles,  Greenbury  H.  Priddy, 
C.  W.  Taneyhill,  George  Matthews,  Thadeus  L.  Wiltsee,  Chas.  E. 
Bennett,  John  I.  Wean,  John  C.  Shaw,  and  Webster  Stockstill. 

CELINA  CHURCH. 

The  Methodist  Church  was  organized  in  Celina  in  1844,  and 
until  1850  was  a  part  of  the  St.  Marys  Circuit,  when  Celina  be- 
came the  head  of  Celina  Circuit. 

In  the  year  1856,  when  the  Central  Ohio  Conference  was  or- 
ganized, it  was  formed  into  a  half-station,  with  Copp's  Chapel  as 
an  outlying  appointment. 

In  1872,  when  the  Rev.  Arkinson  Berry  was  presiding  elder, 
it  became  a  station,  with  Jeremiah  McKean  as  pastor,  who  re- 
mained the  full  term  of  three  years. 

He  was  succeeded  in  order  by  Reuben  Rauch,  Peter  Biggs, 
Caleb  Hill,  Lyman  E.  Prentiss,  Joseph  H.  Cater,  Alexander  Har- 


History  of  Churches! — Alphabetically  Arranged.        l8l 


mount,  William  R.  Seaman,  Albert  E.  Smith,  Daniel  Carter,  Joseph 
H.  Bethards,  Stewart  Baumgardner,  Clayton  A.  Smucker,  Parker 
P.  Pope,  Charles  Bennett — in  all,  forty  years,  to  1912,  when  Wm. 
W.  Lance  was  appointed  pastor. 

The  present  commodious  church  was  erected  during  the  pas- 
torate of  the  Rev.  A.  E.  Smith,  and  the  parsonage  was  remodeled 
into  its  present  modernized  form  by  the  Rev.  Chas.  Bennett. 

The  congregation  of  the  Church  is  made  up  very  largely  of 
intelligent  and  educated  persons  of  the  town,  and  the  charge  is 
one  of  the  most  prosperous  and  desirable  appointments  in  the  Con- 
ference ;  and  in  all  the  relations  and  interests  of  the  Church  it  is 
noted  for  effective  and  aggressive  work. 

COLUMBUS  GROVE  CHURCH. 

A  Methodist  class  was  organized  two  miles  south  of  Columbus 
Grove,  at  the  home  of  Philip  Hopper,  Sr.,  in  October,  1839.  His 
house  continued  to  be  a  preaching  _ 
place  until  1853,  when  services  were 
held  in  a  schoolhouse,  public  hail, 
and  in  the  United  Brethren  and 
Presbyterian  Churches  in  the  town 
until  1869,  when,  upon  a  lot  given 
by  Father  Hooper,  during  the  pas- 
torates of  Philip  Lemasters,  Har- 
rison Maltbie,  and  J.  C.  demons,  a 
frame  church  was  built. 

-   The    congregation    continued    to 
worship  in  this  building  until  1801, 
when  the  present  brick  church  was 
erected,  under  the  pastorate  of  the     REV  c  M  MoN08MITHj  PA8TOR. 
Rev.  Alexander  Harmount. 

Columbus  Grove  was  an  appointment  with  St.  Johns,  Elida,  and 
Ottawa  societies  until  1868,  when  it  was  made  the  head  of  a  charge 
itself;  and  in  this  relation  it  remained  until  1903,  when  it  was 
made  a  station. 

The  first  class  was  organized  under  the  joint  pastorate  of 
Elmer  Day  and  Peter  Hollopeter;  and  the  following  persons  were 
members  of  that  class  and,  therefore,  charter  members  of  the  Colum- 
bus Grove  Church,  namely:  Philip  and  Rachel  Hooper,  and  their 


182  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


children,  Mary,  Julia,  Rachel,  John,  and  Elmira;  George  and  Mary 
Stevenson  and  their  children,  Mary,  Enoch,  and  Rachel;  Adam  and 
Loruma  Van  Meter,  and  Mrs.  B.  Kliver. 

The  record  of  the  pastors  from  1839  to  1860  is  not  complete, 
but  among  the  preachers  of  that  period  were  Jacob  Albright,  John 
Kellam,  Mr.  Hook,  Brick,  and  DeLisle.  Since  1860  those  who  have 
served  the  charge  are:  G.  O.  McPherson,  Adam  C.  Barnes,  B.  B. 
Powell,  Wm.  Deal,  Josiah  F.  Crooks,  Philip  Lemasters,  Harrison 
Maltbie,  J.  C.  demons,  B.  J.  Hoadley,  Geo.  Matthews,  W.  H. 
Scoles,  Reuben  Rauch.  John  M.  Mills,  Peter  Biggs,  L.  O.  Cook, 
A.  Harmount,  N.  B.  C.  Love,  D.  F.  Helms,  Wm.  Hook,  Jacob 
Baumgardner,  M.  C.  Howey,  W.  J.  Green,  J.  W.  Gibson,  Daniel 
Carter,  and  C.  M.  Monosmith. 

From  such  a  small  beginning,  seventy-four  years  ago,  this 
Church  has  grown  until  it  now  has  a  membership  of  nearly  three 
hundred,  and  a  new  church  building  is  planned  and  will  be  erected 
soon. 

CRIDERSVILLE  CHARGE. 

Cridersville  Circuit  comprises  Cridersville,  Shawnee,  Fletcher, 
and  Hume.  Methodism  was  established  within  the  bounds  of  this 

circuit  in  an  early  dav. 

Shawnee  Chapel  stands  on 
historic  ground.  Near  here 
was  the  old  Indian  Council 
House,  in  which  some  of  the 
first  preaching  services  were 
held  in  that  vicinity. 

The  Breese  family  opened 
their  house  for  religious  serv- 
ices, and  were  among  the  char- 
ter members  of  the  Shawnee 
society. 

The  first  Methodist  service 
in  Cridersville  was  held  in  the 

year  1871,  with  the  Rev.  Chas. 
REV.  JOSEPH  D.  SIMMS,  PASTOR.  .-, 

Cran  as  pastor. 

About  that  time  a  building  was  moved  into  the  village  and  occu- 
pied as  a  preaching  place  by  both  Methodists  and  United  Brethren. 


History  of  Churches^-Alphabetically  Arranged.       183 


Some  of  the  preachers  of  that  time  were  P.  A.  Drown,  W.  G. 
Littell,  W.  A.  Tingling,  and  L.  H.  Murlin.  It  was  during  Brother 
Murlin's  pastorate,  in  1877,  that  the  present  church  building  was 
erected,  which  was  remodeled  in  1906  by  the  Rev.  W.  R.  Burton. 
Dr.  Kemper  and  Harry  Kemper,  J.  O.  Hover,  Porter  Edminiton, 
Samuel  Spyker,  and  Emanuel  Reed  were  some  of  the  organizers  of 
the  Church  in  Cridersville. 

ST.  PAUL'S  CHURCH,  DEFIANCE. 

Fort  Defiance  was  built  at  the  confluence  of  three  rivers,  the 
Maumee,  Auglaize,  and  Tiffin.  A  beautiful  situation,  and  although 
humble  in  the  beginning,  it  has 
grown  to  a  city  of  ten  thousand 
souls. 

Methodism  came  early  to  this  lo- 
cality. The  first  sermon  preached 
in  Defiance  was  by  the  Rev.  Wm. 
Sprague,  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  in  the  fall  of  1832. 

The  Rev.  G.  R.  Jones  was  the 
first  presiding  elder  in  Defiance. 
The  first  Quarterly  Conference  was 
held  November  24,  1832.  The  sec- 
ond Quarterly  Conference  in  Defi- 
ance was  held  in  the  courthouse. 

The  first  church  built  in  Defiance 
was  of  logs,  in  1834,  and  was  used  continuously  until  1853,  when 
it  was  replaced  by  what  was  then  considered  a  very  good  and  com- 
modious frame  building.  That  house  is  yet  doing  service  as  the 
church  home  of  the  German  Reformed  congregation  of  this  city. 

Sometime  during  the  period  from  1855  to  1865,  Defiance  Church 
was  separated  from  the  circuit  and  became  a  station,  and  by  1872 
the  prosperity  of  the  Church  demanded  a  more  commodious  house 
for  its  congregation.  After  due  consideration  the  trustees,  consist- 
ing of  E.  F.  Aldrich,  J.  P.  Buffington,  J.  H.  Bevington,  T.  D. 
Harris,  C.  Harley,  James  Orcutt,  Peter  Kettenring,  C.  E.  Slocum, 
and  Lewis  Tiedeman,  took  the  necessary  steps  by  preparing  a  sub- 
scription, which  was  duly  honored  by  liberal  contributions.  Mr. 
J.  I.  Hale,  who  is  yet  with  us,  was  secured  as  contractor,  and  of 


REV.  PRICE  A.  CROW,  PH.  D., 
PASTOR. 


184  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

the  Building  Committee,  Peter  Kettenring  and  James  Orcutt  were 
made  supervisors.  How  well  they  did  their  work  is  seen  in  the 
excellence  of  the  building  after  a  period  of  forty  years  and  now 
forming  the  main  body  of  the  present  beautiful  and  commodious 
structure. 

During  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  Wm.  W.  Lance,  from   1886 
to  1 890,  a  very  large  part  of  the  funds  were  raised  for  the  purchase 


ST.  PAUL'S  CHURCH  AND  PARSONAGE,  DEFIANCE,  O. 

and  erection  of  a  parsonage,  and  in  1891-92,  under  the  pastorate 
of  the  Rev.  J.  M.  Mills,  the  present  substantial  brick  house  was 
erected,  and  during  the  second  pastorate  of  Wm.  W.  Lance  a 
number  of  additions  and  conveniences  were  added  to  it,  making  it 
one  of  the  most  desirable  preacher's  homes  in  the  State. 

On  the  accession  of  Mr.  Chas.  H.  Kettenring  and  wife  to  the 
Church,  in  the  winter  of  1907-08,  they  conceived  the  idea  of  re- 
constructing, enlarging,  and  decorating  the  church,  and  after  much 
counsel  with  the  pastor  and  members,  the  officiary  determined  to 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        185 

proceed  with  the  work.  The  Finance  Committee  consisted  of  Peter 
Kettenring,  Prof.  C.  W.  Butler,  and  C.  C.  Kuhn,  but  on  the  leaving 
of  Peter  Kettenring  for  the  South  in  the  winter,  Chas.  W.  Ketten- 
ring took  his  place.  J.  I.  Hale  was  secured  as  the  architect,  and 


A  SPECIMEN  PAGE  OF  OLD  STYLE  CLASS  BOOK 
OF  A  "METHODIST  CLASS." 

the  present  beautiful  structure  was  completed  and  dedicated  by 
Bishop  John  M.  Walden,  without  a  cent  of  indebtedness,  June  £7, 
1909,  after  an  expenditure  of  $36,000. 

St.  Paul's  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Defiance,  has  now  one 
of  the  handsomest,  most  convenient,  and  elegant  church  buildings 
and  parsonages  in  the  Conference. 

The  presiding  elders  and  district  superintendents  of  this  Church 
since  1870  have-  been  as  follows:  S.  S.  Barter,  Leroy  A.  Belt, 


186  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

Win.  W.  Winter,  Alexander  Harmount,  I.  R.  Henderson,  Samuel 
M.  Roberts,  Gershom  Lease,  P.  P.  Pope,  J.  M.  Mills,  J.  H.  Fitz- 
water,  Joseph  Bethards,  J.  F.  Harshbarger,  D.  H.  Bailey. 

The  pastors  since  1870  have  been  as  follows:    Daniel  G.  Strong, 
Thaddeus  C.  Reade,  Arkinson  Berry,  Gershom  Lease,  Andrew  J. 


FIRST  RECORD  IN  FIRST  QUARTERLY  CONFERENCE. 
RECORD  OF  FIRST  CIRCUIT  IN  UPPER  MAUMEE  VALLET. 

Fish,  Samuel  L.  Roberts,  Wilbur  J.  Hodges,  Wm.  W.  Lance,  J.  M. 
Mills,  A.  E.  Smith,  Joseph  H.  Bethards,  E.  D.  Whitlock,  C.  A. 
Smucker,  Wm.  WT.  Lance,  and  Price  A.  Crow. 

DE  GRAFF  CHURCH. 

The  first  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  DeGraff,  Ohio,  was 
founded  in  the  year  1855  by  Isaac  Smith  and  Dennis  Warner. 

At  the  time  this  society  was  organized  there  was  no  other 
Church  in  DeGraff,  the  town  having  at  that  time  less  than  one 
hundred  inhabitants. 

The  above  named  persons  both  being  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  in  their  former  places  of  residence,  with  their 
wives,  and  Kesiah  Smith,  Sarah  Warner,  and  Mrs.  Cyrus  Crowe, 
met  on  a  bright  Sabbath  morning  in  the  month  of  March,  1855, 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.       187 


REV.  EARL  S.  KELLER,  PASTOR. 


at  the  home  of  Isaac  Smith,  on  Main  Street,  and  held  a  prayer- 
meeting  and  class  meeting.  Soon  after  this  first  service  these  good 
people  secured  the  services  of  the  Rev.  Garbuson,  of  Spring  Hills, 
who  organized  the  class  and,  by  his  earnest  labors  and  faithful 
preaching,  was  enabled  to  greatly  increase  and  strengthen  the  mem- 
bership of  this  young  society. 

In  1857  the  first  Methodist  church 
building  was  erected  on  Koke  Street. 
In  this  structure  the  Methodist  people 
worshiped  and  prospered  until  the 
year  1872,  when  the  church  was 
wholly  destroyed  by  a  tornado. 

The  second  church  was  erected  in 
the  year  1873,  under  the  pastorate  of 
Rev.  J.  W.  Miller. 

The  present  oldest  members  of  the 
Church,  who  joined  in  1857  or  soon 
thereafter,  are  T.  J.  Smith,  A.  J. 
McElroy,  and  Anna  Gilchrist. 

During  the  intervening  years,  through  the  faithful  labors  of 
more  than  a  score  of  Methodist  preachers,  this  society  has  had  a 
splendid  growth.  Under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  E.  L.  Davis,  the 
old  church  was  so  completely  remodeled  and  enlarged  that  it  has 
the  appearance  of  a  new  edifice.  This  extensive  improvement  was 
made  possible  only  after  an  expenditure  of  $18,000.  A  $3,000 
pipe  organ  adorns  the  interior.  It  is  one  of  the  best  equipped 
plants  for  the  size  of  the  community  that  there  is  in  this  great 
Conference. 

Rev.  E.  S.  Keller  is  the  present  pastor,  having  received  his 
appointment  to  this  work  in  the  fall  of  1911.  In  the  fall  of  1913 
this  Church  led  in  a  tabernacle  evangelistic  campaign  which  re- 
sulted in  a  great  ingathering  into  the  Church.  One  Sunday  in 
November  the  pastor  baptized  eighty-eight  adults.  The  total  num- 
ber received  into  the  Church  was  134.  The  present  membership  is 
493  resident  and  twenty-six  non-resident  members. 

DELTA  CHURCH. 

In  May,  1334,  at  the  residence  of  Sidney  Halley,  located  in  what 
was  known  as  the  "Six  Mile  Woods,"  now  Delta,  was  held  the 
first  Methodist  prayer-meeting.  The  meeting  was  led  by  Sidney 


188  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

Halley.  There  were  present  at  this  meeting  Halley  and  wife, 
William  Meeker  and  wife,  David  Williams  and  wife,  Willard  Trow- 
bridge,  Lydia  Trowbridge,  William  Fewless,  Caroline  Fewless, 
Eccless  Nay,  and  Elizabeth  Nay.  In  August,  1834,  the  second 
public  service  was  held  at  the  Eccless  Nay  residence. 

In  1835,  at  his  residence,  Rev.  Elisha  Trowbridge,  who  was 
a  trusted  and  efficient  local  preacher  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  organized  the  first  Methodist  Episcopal  society.  From 
this  energetic  planting  is  come  the  present  prosperous  organization. 
The  first  Methodist  Episcopal  church  built  in  this  section  was 
built  on  ground  donated  by  Rev.  Elisha  Trowbridge,  located  about 
one  mile  west  of  Delta,  Ohio.  In  this  church  Rev.  E.  Trowbridge 
spent  his  life  in  faithful  work  for  humanity,  he  being  the  only 
preacher  in  this  section  for  many  years.  The  second  church  was 
built  just  north  of  the  first  church,  on  the  farm  of  Mr.  Thomas 
Bayes,  and  was  ever  after  called  the  Bayes  appointment. 

William  Fewless  was  the  first  class  leader  the  Church  had  in 
this  section.  The  first  local  preachers  were  Rev.  Elisha  Trow- 
bridge, Rev.  Geo.  Wood,  and  Rev.  Russell  Kimbel. 

The  first  regular  itinerant  Methodist  preacher  that  preached 
at  Delta  was  the  Rev.  C.  Brooks,  later  of  the  Minnesota  Confer- 
ence. 

The  northern  part  of  Ohio  until  after  1839  was  included  with 
Michigan.  From  this  Conference  (North  Ohio)  Brooks  had  re- 
ceived his  appointment  to  preach  at  Maumee,  Perrysburg,  and 
Waterville.  Delta  territory  was  embraced  in  Waterville  Circuit. 
Brooks  was  followed  by  Shortiss  and  Coleman,  Brooks  and  Flem- 
ing being  on  the  year  before.  Shortiss,  a  zealous  and  pious  young 
man,  died  at  his  post  and  is  buried  in  the  graveyard  at  the  Spring- 
field Church,  near  Holland  Station  on  the  Air  Line  Division  of  the 
L.  S.  &  M.  S.  R.  R.  Presumably  the  first  presiding  elder  after 
Delta  became  an  appointment  was  John  Janes,  a  good  preacher 
and  a  very  sharp  debater,  who  has  long  since  gone  to  his  reward. 
The  next  preachers  appointed  to  the  work  were  A.  Coleman,  Chas. 
Thomas  (who  left  the  work),  and  Hatch  (who  took  his  place). 
Janes  was  followed  on  the  district  by  John  J.  Kellam.  After 
Coleman  and  Hatch,  a  man  by  the  name  of  Campbell  traveled  the 
circuit.  Then  Liberty  Prentice  and  Cushman.  Then  William 
Thatcher  and  Samuel  Mower.  J.  J.  Kellam  was  succeeded  on  the 


History  of  Churches— Alphabetically  Arranged.       189 

district  by  Wesley  Brooks.  The  next  preacher  on  the  then  Water- 
ville  Circuit  was  T.  J.  Pope,  1845,  Rev.  Thomas  Barkdull,  pre- 
siding elder. 

In  August,  1847,  the  North  Ohio  Conference  met  at  Ashland, 
Ohio.  At  this  Conference  a  new  mission  was  formed  called  Clinton 
(Wauseon)  Mission,  consisting  of  the  following  appointments,  viz.: 
Delta  (then  called  Bayes  Meeting  House,  about  one  mile  northwest 
of  the  village  of  Delta),  York  Center,  William  Bayes,  Clinton 
Township,  Lutes  (in  German  Township),  Gorham,  and  Chester- 
field. 

In  1847  B.  Herbert  was  the  preacher  on  the  mission;  T.  Bark- 
dull,  presiding  elder.  Barkdull  was  a  very  fine  preacher  and  long 
lived  in  the  affection  of  the  people. 

When  B.  Herbert  traveled  Clinton  Mission  in  1847,  the  most 
prominent  villages  west  of  Maumee  and  Toledo  and  north  of  De- 
fiance were  Bryan,  West  Unity,  and  Hicksville.  There  were  but 
very  few  frame  or  brick  houses  west  of  the  Maumee  River.  Maumee 
City  then  was  the  place  where  the  principal  milling  and  trading 
was  done  as  far  west  as  Wauseon. 

In  1848  Rev.  A.  Foster,  later  in  Iowa,  was  sent  to  the  mission. 
Geo.  W.  Breckinridge,  presiding  elder  in  1849,  and  1850,  O.  Waters. 

In  the  Bayes  Church  the  Rev.  Octavius  Waters  held  one  of  the 
greatest  revivals  of  religion  ever  witnessed  in  this  section.  In 
1849  the  name  was  changed  from  Clinton  Mission  to  Chesterfield 
Circuit.  In  1851  John  McKern  was  the  preacher  in  charge  and 
William  C.  Pierce,  presiding  elder.  In  1852,  John  Crabbs  and  A. 
Hollington.  In  1853,  James  Evans  and  John  Frownfelter.  In 
1854,  James  Evans  and  J.  W.  Thompson;  David  Gray,  presiding 
elder.  In  1855  the  circuit  was  first  named  Delta  Circuit,  with 
Martin  Perky  pastor,  who  also  traveled  the  circuit  in  1856. 

The  first  Methodist  Episcopal  church  in  Delta,  Ohio,  was  built 
by  Rev.  George  Wood  in  the  year  1856,  at  a  cost  to  the  society  of 
$1,000.  In  this  house  he  often  preached. 

The  Rev.  Martin  Perky  was  the  first  pastor  to  occupy  the  pul- 
pit. Rev.  L.  B.  Gurley  was  the  first  presiding  elder  on  Maumee 
District.  Rev.  David  Gray  was  on  the  district  at  the  time  of  the 
dedication  of  the  original  church  in  Delta  Village.  Up  to  this  time 
the  district  was  called  Maumee,  but  in  1857  it  was  changed  to 
Toledo  District. 


190  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

The  pastoral  succession  from  1856  to  the  present  (1914),  as 
nearly  as  can  be  ascertained,  is  as  follows:  W.  W.  Winters  and 
D.  D.  S.  Reigh,  D.  D.  S.  Reigh  and  G.  W.  Money,  A.  B.  Poe  and 
P.  S.  Slevin,  A.  M.  Carey,  G.  W.  Miller,  B.  Herbert  and  C.  Hoag, 
S.  B.  Maltbie,  A.  C.  Barnes,  John  R.  Colgan,  A.  Coleman,  N.  B.  C. 
Love,  William  Deal,  John  F.  Davies,  Nathaniel  Barter,  G.  W. 
Miller,  Richard  Wallace,  C.  W.  Taneyhill,  J.  A.  Ferguson  and  J.  H. 
Fitzwater,  P.  Biggs,  J.  M.  Mills,  Jefferson  Williams,  Isaac  Newton, 
Daniel  Carter,  Frederick  Miller,  W.  W.  Scoles,  Jacob  Baumgardner, 
F.  W.  Stanton,  F.  A.  Zimmerman,  A.  S.  Watkins,  J.  W.  Domain, 
M.  D.  Scott,  C.  A.  Moore,  and  P.  Ross  Parrish. 

Delta  was  first  made  a  station  in  September,  1871 ;  N.  B.  C. 
Love,  pastor,  and  L.  A.  Belt,  presiding  elder.  R.  Wallace  was 
pastor  from  September,  1876,  to  September,  1879,  during  which 
time  there  was  a  notable  and  long  remembered  revival  interest. 
During  the  pastorate  of  Charles  W.  Taneyhill,  1881,  the  old 
parsonage  was  sold  and  the  proceeds,  with  additional  subscrip- 
tions, invested  in  building  the  present  brick  parsonage  adjacent  to 
the  church. 

During  the  pastorate  of  Jefferson  Williams  steps  were  taken 
toward  building  a  much  needed  new  church.  Rev.  Williams  pub- 
lished an  "Outline  History  and  Directory  of  the  Church,"  January 
1,  1888,  in  which  reference  was  made  to  the  new  project  as  follows: 

"On    Thanksgiving    evening,    November    24,    1887,    the 
society,  moved  with  gratitude  to  God  for  His  goodness  to  the 
children  of  men,  authorized  a  thank-offering  of  ten  thousand 
dollars  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  new  M.  E.  church  edi- 
fice, to  be  of  brick,  and  to  be  erected  in  1888." 
Bishop  John  M.  Walden,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  laid  the  corner- 
stone of  the  present   (1914)   church  October  28,   1888,  preaching 
from  2  Peter  1:  15.     Dr.  Earl  Cranston,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  dedi- 
cated the  new  church  on  Sunday,  September  15,  1889.     He  preached 
on  the  occasion  from  Luke  14:  28-30. 

The  Sabbath  school  work  was  not  neglected  by  the  early  Church. 
The  first  Sunday  school  in  this  section  of  the  country  was  a  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Sunday  school.  In  was  organized  in  the  year  1839 
by  Willard  Trowbridge,  Joseph  Jones,  and  William  Fewless.  Three 
elect  ladies,  Mrs.  Mary  McClure,  Mrs.  Sylvia  Thayer,  and  Mrs. 
Hannah  Carpenter,  stirred  up  interest  and  took  the  first  steps 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        IQI 


toward  the  organization  of  a  Methodist  Sunday  school  in  Delta 
proper.  From  this  organization  has  grown  the  present  prosperous 
Sunday  school  of  three  hundred. 

Rev.  M.  D.  Scott  was  reappointed  to  Delta  for  the  fourth  year 
in  September,  1908.  A  splendid  addition  to  the  church  was  built 
this  year,  affording  greatly  improved  facilities  for  Sunday  school 
work,  also  kitchen  and  dining  room.  The  project  was  conceived 
and  executed  by  Mr.  James  Schlappi,  a  noble  layman  and  Sunday 
school  superintendent  for  many  years.  The  total  cost,  $2,500,  was 
easily  pledged  and  quickly  paid.  But  the  Sunday  school  has  al- 
ready (1914)  outgrown  these  quarters  and  is  needing  larger  and 
better  facilities. 

During  the  pastorate  of  C.  A.  Moore,  in  1913,  a  union  taber- 
nacle meeting  under  Evangelist  Honeywell  added  a  considerable 
number  to  the  Church.  During  Brother  Moore's  last  year  the 
church  was  repaired  and  the  church  auditorium  tastefully  decorated. 

Rev.  P.  Ross  Parrish,  D.  D.,  the  present  pastor,  is  having  a 
very  successful  pastorate. 

DELPHOS  CHURCH. 

Methodists  held  their  first  service  in  Delphos  in  the  spring  of 
1845,  nine  years  after  the  first  white  settlers  reached  the  place. 
The  Rev.  John  Graham,  father  of 
Mr.  E.  R.  Graham,  one  of  the  Pub- 
lishing Agents  of  the  Church, 
preached  the  sermon.  He  was  at 
that  time  preacher  on  the  Van  Wert 
Circuit. 

In  the  fall  of  that  year  a  class 
was  formed,  composed  of  R.  M.  Ped- 
dicord  and  wife,  Joseph  Gruver  and 
wife,  and  one  or  two  others. 

R.  M.  Peddicord  was  appointed 
class  leader. 

This  organization  was  the  first 
Protestant  society  in  Delphos.  REV  LOUIS  H.  GRESSLEY,  PASTOR. 

The  class  remained  with  the  Van 

Wert  Circuit  until  1854,  from  which  time  Delphos  has  either  been 
a  circuit  or  the  head  of  a  circuit. 


192  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

In  the  fall  of  1848  the  class  was  greatly  strengthened  by  the 
coming  of  Amos  Metcalf,  from  Cincinnati,  and  E.  N.  Martin,  from 
Piqua,  both  being  local  preachers 

The  first  church,  a  substantial  brick  building,  was  erected  in 
1848,  during  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  Alexander  Harmount.  This 
building  was  displaced  by  the  present  church  edifice  during  the  pas- 
torate of  the  Rev.  Solomon  Lindsay. 

The  following  brethren  have  served  as  pastors:  John  Graham, 
John  S.  Kalb,  Jacob  Albright,  Alexandar  Harmount,  L.  F.  Ward, 
R.  D.  Oldfield,  J.  K.  Ford,  J.  N.  Guiberson,  J.  F.  Burkholder,  Wm. 
Taylor,  Gershom  Lease,  Jacob  Fegtly,  John  Frebley,  A.  N.  Krebbs, 
Isaac  Newton,  Franklin  Marriott,  F.  Plumb,  Wm.  Deal,  J.  Estelle, 
James  F.  Mounts,  Lemuel  Herbert,  Jason  Young,  A.  J.  Fish, 
John  S.  Bates,  Dwight  R.  Cook,  L.  C.  Webster,  Caleb  Hill,  R.  R. 
Bryan,  John  W.  Holland ;  Alexander  Harmount  again,  for  one 
month,  when  he  died,  and  F.  W.  Stanton  filled  out  the  year;  M.  D. 
Scott,  Mortimer  Gascoigne,  Wm.  Hook,  Peter  Biggs,  E.  A.  Strother, 
J.  B.  Ascham  (twice),  J.  B.  Gottschall,  Geo.  B.  Wiltsie,  and  L.  H. 
Gressley. 

DESHLER  CHURCH. 

The  town  of  Deshler,  situated  thirty-seven  miles  south  of  Toledo 
and  thirty-five  miles  north  of  Lima,  is  an  important  railroad  center, 
with  a  population  of  1,600. 

With  the  beginning  of  the  town  came  the  Methodist  preacher, 
and,  with  eleven  members  to  begin  with,  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  was  organized  in  the  old  log  -schoolhouse  on  Stearns  Avenue 
in  September,  1871,  by  Rev.  John  Sites,  a  brother  of  Rev.  Nathan 
Sites,  our  missionary  of  former  years  in  China. 

During  the  .forty-three  years  of  its  history  the  work  of  the 
Church  in  Deshler  has  been  carried  forward  through  great  trials 
and  difficulties  by  heroic  men  and  women.  Twenty-nine  different 
pastors  have  served  the  Church  in  that  time.  The  membership 
has  never  been  very  large,  and  because  of  disasters,  losses,  and 
changing  conditions,  which  they  could  not  control,  they  have  had 
to  build  their  church  three  times — one  to  recover  from  fire,  and 
once  to  change  location.  Our  people  are  now  well  located  in  the 
center  of  the  town  and  well  housed  in  property,  church  and  par- 
sonage together,  worth  $16,000. 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        193 


In  this  open  field  of  opportunity  and  need  we  have  a  large  and 
vigorous  Sunday  school  and  a  growing  membership ;  and  the  Church 
is  commending  itself  to  the  community  and  to  the  Church  at  large 
by  the  earnest  and  valuable  service  it  is  giving  to  the  people. 


DESHLER  CHURCH. 

Rev.  W.  S.  Philpott,  the  present  pastor,  is  having  a  very  suc- 
cessful pastorate.  The  Church  has  prospered  greatly  under  his 
wise  and  kindly  administration. 

FINDLAY  METHODISM— FIRST  CHURCH. 

Methodism  had  its  inception  in  Findlay  when  Adam  Poe,  D.  D., 
preached  in  that  place  in  the  year  1829.  Incidentally,  this  was 
the  first  sermon  ever  preached  in  that  city.  Dr.  Poe  was  the  pre- 
siding elder  connected  with  the  Wyandotte  Mission  at  Upper  San- 
dusky.  He  reached  Ft.  Findlay,  as  the  place  was  then  called,  on 
Saturday  night,  a  stranger,  and  had  only  thirty-seven  cents  in  his 
pockets.  He  rode  his  horse  up  to  the  hotel  and  gave  directions 
that  it  should  be  taken  care  of,  then  he  went  to  the  Duddleson 
Schoolhouse,  a  log  building  on  East  Crawford  Street,  which  was 
also  used  as  a  courthouse.  He  made  a  fire  and  drew  two  benches 
together,  which  he  used  as  a  bed  on  which  he  passed  the  night. 

13 


194  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

In  the  morning  he  went  out  and  informed  the  people  whom  he  met 
that  he  would  preach  in  the  schoolhouse  at  ten  o'clock.  Many 
came  to  hear  him,  and  at  the  close  of  the  service  a  kind  lady  asked 
him  to  her  home  for  dinner,  at  which  it  was  revealed  that  as  yet 
he  had  had  neither  supper  nor  breakfast. 

The  Revs.  Thomas  Thompson,  Elnathan  C.  Gavitt,  Jacob 
Hooper,  Jacob  Young,  and  Russel  Bigelow  each  visited  the  place 
and  preached. 

The  first  Methodist  class  in  Findlay  was  formed  by  the  Rev. 
Elam  Day,  in  November,  1832.  The  members  were  John  Baker, 


FIRST  CHURCH,  FINDLAY,  O. 

Mrs.  Mary  Baker,  Isaac  Baker,  Mrs.  Rebecca  Baker,  Parlee  Carlin, 
Sarah  Carlin,  William  Dewitt,  Jacob  and  Mary  Foster,  and  others. 

When  Findlay  was  made  a  mission .  circuit,  Elam  Day  was 
preacher  in  charge,  with  Benjamin  Allen  assistant.  They  were 
appointed  by  the  Ohio  Conference.  The  meetings  were  held  in 
the  schoolhouse  and  courtroom.  The  first  church  building  was 
erected  in  1825  on  the  east  end  of  Main  Cross  Street,  the  Revs. 
Henry  Whiteman  and  George  W.  Breckenridge  being  the  pastors. 

The  building  was  a  frame  structure  and  cost  $1,400.  The 
membership  of  the  Church  was  fifty.  This  house  was  used  until 
1851,  when  a  brick  building,  much  larger  and  better  than  the  frame, 
was  erected  on  West  Sandusky  Street,  at  a  cost  of  $7,000. 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        195 

The  Sunday  school  numbered  at  that  time  185,  and  the  Church 
180,  the  Rev.  W.  S.  Lunt  being  pastor. 

The  next  year  (1852)  Findlay  was  made  a  station,  and  Rev. 
W.  S.  Lunt  was  returned  as  pastor. 

The  pioneers  of  Methodism  in  this  region  of  the  State — Bige- 
low,  Gurley,  Rnmiells,  Allen,  Breckenridge,  Heustes,  Biggs,  Wilson, 
Pope,  Gavitt,  Hill,  Whiteman,  and  others  equally  prominent — 
traveled  the  wilds  of  Hancock  County,  proclaiming  the  gospel 
with  zeal  and  great  success. 

The  second  church  building  was  erected  on  West  Sandusky 
Street,  in  1867-68,  at  a  cost  of  $38,000,  including  the  parsonage. 
It  was  a  fine  brick  building  with  stained  glass  windows  and  sur- 
mounted by  a  spire  180  feet  high.  The  first  story,  a  basement,  was 
used  as  a  lecture  room  and  for  Sunday  school  and  class  purposes. 
The  audience  room,  on  the  second  floor,  had  a  seating  capacity  of 
about  seven  hundred,  with  a  gallery  in  the  south  end  and  the  pulpit 
and  organ  in  the  north  end.  The  organ  cost  $2,000. 

The  Rev.  Isaac  Newton  was  at  that  time  pastor.  This  edifice 
continued  to  be  the  house  of  worship  until  the  year  1902,  when 
it  was  replaced  by  the  present  structure,  dedicated  on  the  7th  of 
December  of  that  year.  In  design  and  architecture  the  present 
church  is  a  marvel  of  beauty.  Its  total  value  is  $75,000.  The 
building  is  of  the  Craig  sandstone,  and  is  180  feet  long  east  and 
west,  and  100  feet  wide  north  and  south.  The  beautiful,  triple- 
arched  main  entrance  is  one  of  the  most  pleasing  features  of  the 
exterior.  With  the  aid  of  the  Sunday  school  part,  fifteen  hundred 
persons  can  be  comfortably  seated.  The  basement  contains,  besides 
the  furnace  rooms,  a  large  dining  hall,  kitchen,  and  social  rooms. 

This  church  was  built  during  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  C.  R. 
Havighurst,  now  pastor  of  Trinity,  Youngstown,  Ohio,  to  whose 
untiring  efforts  the  building  of  so  fine  a  church  is  largely  due.  The 
membership  of  the  Church  is  about  950  at  present  (1913). 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  pastors  who  have  served  the  Church 
since  it  became  a  station:  W.  S.  Lunt,  J.  A.  Kellam,  David  Gray, 
J.  S.  Holmes,  Thomas  Parker,  L.  B.  Gurley,  Gershom  Lease,  John 
S.  Kalb,  Joseph  Wykes,  Isaac  Newton,  Oliver  Kennedy,  Wm. 
Jones,  I.  R.  Henderson,  P.  P.  Pope,  John  F.  Davies,  E.  D.  Whit- 
lock,  W.  A.  Yingling,  S.  L.  Beiler,  A.  J.  Fish,  L.  E.  Prentice, 
C.  R.  Havighurst,  J.  M.  Avann,  W.  G.  Waters,  H.  C.  Jameson, 


196  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

C.  R.  Havighurst,  E.  O.  Crist,  Geo.  B.  Wiltsie,  F.  W.  Stanton, 
and  H.  C.  Jameson. 

The  presiding  elders  and  district  superintendents  have  been 
Wesley  J.  Wells,  John  Graham,  Horatio  S.  Bradley,  David  Gray, 
L.  C.  Webster,  W.  W.  Winter,  Alexander  Harmount,  I.  R.  Hen- 
derson, A.  C.  Barnes,  L.  A.  Belt,  J.  L.  Albritton,  W.  W.  Lance, 
E.  D.  Whitlock,  and  J.  H.  Fitzwater. 

HOWARD  CHURCH,  FINDLAY. 

This  Church  was  the  outgrowth  of  the  natural  gas  boom  of 
1884  to  1887.  At  this  time  Dr.  Andrew  J.  Fish,  pastor  of  the 
First  Church,  Findlay,  saw  the  large  incoming  of  people  and  the 

wonderful  growth  of  the  city, 
and  especially  the  north  side 
of  the  Blanchard  River.  He, 
failing  to  induce  the  trustees 
of  the  First  Church  to  pur- 
chase suitable  lots  on  the  north 
side  of  the  river,  bought  the 
two  lots  on  which  Howard 
Church  stands.  Samuel  How- 
ard, residing  on  the  north  side, 
was  induced  to  buy  and  donate 
these  lots  to  the  First  Church 
trustees.  The  Board  of  First 
Church,  under  the  wise  assist- 
ance of  Dr.  Fish,  erected  the 
church. 

Rev.  H.  C.  Jameson  was 
REV.  JAMES  W.  GIBSON,  M.  D.,  PASTOR.  appointed  pastor  by  the  pre- 
siding elder,  Dr.  L.  C.  Webster.  Rev.  Jameson  organized  the 
Church  and  served  it  successfully  for  nearly  two  years;  then  he 
was  sent  to  Fostoria,  and  Dr.  N.  B.  C.  Love  was  sent  from  Upper 
Sandusky  to  succeed  him.  At  this  time  the  indebtedness,  besides 
the  interest,  was  even  $5,000.  A  new  Board  of  Trustees  was  ap- 
pointed and  took  charge  of  the  Church  and  its  finances.  The  First 
Church  nobly  stood  by  the  new  organization  with  kind  words  and 
large  financial  aid.  Without  giving  in  detail  the  account  of  the 
successful  efforts  to  raise  this  debt,  it  can  be  truthfully  said  that 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        197 


during  the  pastorates  of  the  Revs.  Love  (for  two  years),  Taney- 
hill  (for  two  years),  and  Boyer  (for  two  years)  the  Church  pros- 
pered and  became  free  from  debt.  The  Church  Extension  Society 
gave  the  last  $1,000. 

Rev.    J.    L.    Boyer    at    a    special   service,    with    the    assistance 
of  former  pastors  Dr.  N.  B.  C.  Love  and  Rev.  C.  W.  Taneyhill, 


HOWARD  CHURCH,  FINDLAY,  O. 

in  the  presence  of  a  great  congregation,  burned  the  mortgages  and 
notes  and  declared  Howard  Church  free  from  debt. 

The  society  worships  in  a  commodious  brick  building,  and  the 
pastor  lives  in  a  comfortable  parsonage,  bought  during  the  pas- 
torate of  Jacob  Baumgardner.  Under  the  pastorate  of  M.  E. 
Ketcham  the  church  was  changed  so  as  to  admit  a  larger  organ. 


198  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

The  other  pastors  serving  this  Church  have  been  as  follows: 
J.  W.  Holland,  one  year;  M.  C.  Howey,  three  years;  Peter  Biggs, 
three  years;  Jacob  Baumgardner,  five  years;  M.  E.  Ketcham,  three 
years,  and  the  present  pastor,  J.  W.  Gibson,  is  in  his  third  year. 

THIRD  CHURCH,  FINDLAY. 

Third   Church,   Findlay,   Ohio,   situated   in   the   north   part   of 
the  city,  was  organized  October,  1889,  with  twenty-two  full  mem- 
bers and  six  probationers. 

The  ministers  who  have 
served  this  Church  are  as  fol- 
lows: C.  E.  Rowley,  A.  C. 
Thomas,  Jeremiah  Kelley,  W.  F. 
Ernsberger,  C.  M.  Baker,  R.  E. 
Woodruff,  E.  D.  Cooke,  Wm.  E. 
Ortman,  W.  N.  Shank,  R.  J. 
Beard,  J.  C.  demons,  B.  W. 
Day,  A.  E.  Huntington,  D.  E. 
Moffitt,  J.  O.  Moffett,  W.  N. 
Harthan,  W.  H.  Dresch,  I.  N. 
McDuffee,  Chas.  Ketcham,  C.  E. 
Rowley,  and  E.  H.  Snow. 

For     a     number     of     years 
Bairdstown,    a    village    on    the 
Baltimore    and    Ohio    Railroad, 
some  three  miles  east  of  North 
REV.  EUGENE  H.  SNOW,  PASTOR.        Baltimore,    has    been    associated 
with  Third  Church.     Third  Church  has  a  neat  frame  house  of  wor- 
ship, and  a  comfortable  parsonage,  erected  in   1912;  and  Braids- 
town  has  a  good  church  building. 

FIRST  CHURCH,  FOSTORIA. 

In  the  early  days  of  Methodism  the  present  Fostoria  was  two 
towns,  known  as  Rome  and  Risdon,  rivals  in  religion  as  well  as  in 
business.  Rome  was  situated  in  Seneca  County,  and  Risdon  at  the 
corner  of  Seneca,  Hancock,  and  Wood  Counties.  The  Methodists 
were  the  first  to  settle  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Wood  County, 
and  the  first  sermon  was  preached  at  the  home  of  Wm.  Shawhan 
by  the  Rev.  Andrew  Hollopeter,  in  April,  1832.  The  next  year, 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        199 

in  1833,  the  first  log  church  was  built,  which  was  just  west  of  the 
old  public  square  in  Risdon,  by  John  Gorsuch,  Robert  F.  Caples, 
Livingston  Thomas,  Isaac  Germond,  Wm.  Shawhan,  Reuben  Bryan, 
and  others.  Then  Rome  wanted  a  church,  and  one  was  built  on 
what  is  now  known  as  West  Tiffin  Street,  with  James  Anderson, 
James  Wiseman,  John  Hooper,  and  others  as  charter  members. 
These  Churches  became  part  of  Risdon  Circuit,  served  most  of  the 
time  by  two  preachers,  as  the  circuit  included  a 
number  of  appointments,  and  covered  a  large 
territory. 

These  early  pioneers  were  served  by  the 
Revs.  Dubois,  Brock,  Conway,  Whiteman,  Wil- 
son, Jewett,  Elliott,  and  Seymour,  with  Leonard 
B.  Gurley,  Thomas  Barkdull,  Raymond,  and 
Disbrow,  presiding  elders. 

In  1851  Geo.  W.  Collier  came  upon  the  cir- 
cuit. He  saw  that,  with  the  strong  rivalry  be-  REV.  C.  W.  BARNES, 
tween  the  two  places  and  Churches,  they  could  D.  D.,  PASTOR. 
not  accomplish  the  good  they  might  if  the  two  Churches  were 
united.  He  at  once  commenced  plans  for  uniting  the  two  Churches. 
He  brought  the  officers  of  the  Churches  together  a  number  of  times 
to  take  steps  for  the  union;  but  they  did  not  want  to  unite,  and 
many  stormy  scenes  resulted.  When  the  sessions  would  get  pretty 
warm,  Brother  Collier  would  say,  "Let  us  pray,"  and  there  would 
be  a  season  of  prayer  and  the  atmosphere  would  clear.  Some  few 
of  the  brethren  held  out  against  the  union,  and  finally  Chaplain 
Collier  threatened  to  remove  them  and  put  members  in  their  places 
who  would  vote  for  the  union  of  the  two  Churches.  Finally  they 
agreed,  and  a  two-story  frame  building,  40  x  60  feet,  was  built  in 
1854,  on  the  site  of  the  present  church,  about  half-way  between 
the  two  towns. 

According  to  Chaplain  Collier,  this  was  the  means  of  the  two 
towns  uniting,  and  at  the  suggestion  of  Dr.  Abraham  Metz  the 
town  was  called  Fostoria,  in  honor  of  Charles  W.  Foster,  father 
of  Ex-Governor  Charles  Foster. 

In  this  church  were  held  many  gracious  revivals,  which  resulted 
in  largely  increasing  the  membership  of  the  Church.  The  revivals 
which  resulted  in  the  most  conversions  in  the  old  Church  were 
during  the  pastorates  of  Revs.  Biles  and  Ambrose  Hollington,  the 


200  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

father  of  Rev.  Richard  D.  Hollington,  who  later  filled  the  pulpit 
so  acceptably  in  the  present  Church.  It  is  said  that  while  the  re- 
vival was  in  progress  under  the  elder  Hollington,  his  health  failed 
and  the  Rev.  Bever  was  called  in  to  conduct  the  meeting.  So  deep 
was  the  interest  that  the  meetings  went  along  without  a  break  and 
resulted  in  many  conversions. 

The  congregation  outgrew  the  old  church  and,  under  the  pas- 
torate of  the  Rev.  Richard  Wallace,  it  was  torn  down  and.  in  1883, 
the  present  brick  church  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  about  $40,000. 


FIRST  CHURCH,  FOSTORIA. 

In  1887,  during  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  T.  C.  Read,  a  great 
revival  broke  out,  which  seemed  to  shake  the  town  and  resulted  in 
about  five  hundred  conversions.  The  next  year  the  balance  of  the 
debt  on  the  church  was  raised,  and  Bishop  Warren  dedicated  the 
church  to  the  worship  of  God. 

The  pastors  who  have  served  the  Church  during  the  occupancy 
of  the  present  building  are:  Richard  Wallace,  L.  M.  Albright, 
T.  C.  Read,  H.  C.  Jameson,  W.  W.  Lance,  J.  W.  Hill,  Jr.,  R.  D. 
Hollington,  J.  F.  Harshbarger,  J.  F.  Olive,  and  C.  W.  Barnes,  the 
present  pastor. 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.       201 

Dr.  Harshbarger  organized  the  "Brotherhood  of  St.  Paul"  in 
1903,  and,  under  the  presidency  of  Mr.  W.  O.  Allen,  the  Brother- 
hood was  formed  into  a  Sunday  school  class,  and  soon  the  member- 
ship was  increased  to  two  hundred.  The  meetings  of  the  Brother- 
hood and  the  Sunday  school  class  are  held  in  the  "assembly  room" 
in  the  basement  of  the  church,  which  the  Brotherhood  fitted  up  at 
a  cost  of  $1,200. 

The  Hon.  J.  V.  Jones,  who  recently  passed  to  his  reward  at 
the  age  of  eighty-seven,  began  to  attend  the  Risdon  Sunday  school 
when  ten  years  old,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  united  with  the 
Church,  in  1841. 

Martin  Adams,  Edward  Bricker,  Andrew  Emerine,  Sr.,  L.  J. 
Eishelman,  Christian  German,  Norman  Saltzman,  B.  M.  Solomon, 
Albert  Thornton,  W.  O.  Allen,  David  Cole,  T.  L.  Caskey,  David 
Ballmer,  Alonzo  Emerine,  David  Lynch,  John  Noble,  W.  A.  Bamler, 
S.  J.  Reycraft,  E.  O.  Sheller,  W.  N.  Abbott,  J.  H.  Barr,  Thomas 
Billyard,  Aaron  Cox,  Taylor  I.  Hale,  Wm.  V.  Hastings,  Ezra 
Miller,  J.  J.  Rumsey,  Wm.  E.  Sponslor,  Noah  Stahl,  David  Sprout, 
Wm.  Callahan,  J.  W.  Bricker,  Dr.  Caples,  Philip  Caples,  Dr. 
Longfellow,  Daniel  Asire,  and  Eli  Peebles,  who  in  the  early  years 
of  the  North  Ohio  and  the  Central  Ohio  Conferences  was  a  traveling 
preacher,  are  some  of  the  names  appearing  on  the  Quarterly  Con- 
ference roll  from  a  date  preceding  the  year 
when  the  present  church  edifice  was  erected, 
down  to  the  present,  widely  known  in  the 
vicinity  as  men  of  probity  in  business  and 
usefulness  in  the  Church.  Besides  J.  V.  Jones, 
already  mentioned  as  having  died,  Eli  Feebles, 
Wm.  Callahan,  Dr.  J.  W.  Bricker,  Philip  and 
Dr.  Caples,  David  Asire,  Taylor  I.  Hale,  and 
Dr.  Longfellow  have  gone  to  the  land  on  high. 

The  Sunday  school  of  the  Church  is  large 
and  well  organized,  and  the  Church,  one  of     Miis.  C.  W.  BARNES, 
the  most   desirable   in   the   Conference,   com-  Recording  Secretary  Woman's 

£  l         i   at\n         T>U        Foreign  Missionary  Society. 

prises   a  membership  ot   nearly    1,200.      ine 

Rev.  C.  W.  Barnes,  D.  D.,  ably  assisted  during  the  second  year  of 
his  pastorate  by  Evangelist  Stough,  has  received  altogether  some 
three  hundred  persons  into  the  Church. 

Mrs.  C.  W.  Barnes  is  a  very  efficient  Church  worker.     She  is 


202 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


quite  prominent  in  leadership  in  the  Woman's  Foreign  Missionary 
Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of  which  she  has  been 
the  recording  secretary  since  1905.  Prior  to  that  she  was  for  a 
number  of  years  recording  secretary  of  the  Cincinnati  Branch  of 
the  Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society. 


FIRST  CHURCH,  FREMONT. 

The  first  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Fremont,  Ohio,  was 
organized  by  the  Rev.  James  Montgomery.  He  was  born  in  West 
Moreland  County,  Pa.,  November  20,  1776,  and  received  most  of 

his  education  in  the  city  of  Pitts- 
burgh. His  father  died  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary War,  and  at  the  age  of 
seventeen  young  Montgomery  moved 
with  his  widowed  mother  to  Ken- 
tucky. In  1806  he  married  and  set- 
tled on  a  farm  eight  miles  east  of 
Urbana,  Champaign  County,  Ohio. 
In  1812  he  moved  to  Springfield, 
Ohio,  and  soon  after  was  appointed 
by  Governor  Meigs  commissary  of 
the  army,  and  at  the  close  of  the 
war  he  returned  to  his  farm  near 
Urbana. 

In    1819    President   Monroe   ap- 
pointed   him    the    first    agent    for 

the  Seneca  Indians,  when  he  moved  to  Fort  Seneca,  Seneca  County. 
The  Indians  gave  him  the  name,  "Kuckoo-Wassa,"  or  "New  Acorn." 
Mr.  Montgomery  was  a  local  preacher  for  thirty  years,  having 
been  ordained  by  Bishop  Asbury  in  Lebanon,  Ohio.  He  died  at 
Fort  Seneca  in  1830.  He  preached  almost  constantly  in  connection 
with  his  official  duties.  Soon  after  reaching  Fort  Seneca,  in  1819, 
he  found  his  way  to  the  village  of  Lower  Sandusky,  where  he  held 
the  first  Methodist  service.  He  continued  to  preach  at  regular 
intervals,  and  in  1820  organized  a  class,  consisting  of  himself,  wife 
and  daughter. 

At  this  time  the  Rev.  James  B.  Finley  was  the  presiding  elder 
in  this  part  of  the  State. 


REV.  J.  F.  HARSHBARGER,  D.  D., 
PASTOR. 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.       203 

In  one  sense  this  class  may  be  considered  the  beginning  of  Meth- 
odism in  Fremont.  The  first  communion  service  was  attended  by 
these  three  and  a  local  preacher  from  Springfield,  Ohio,  by  the  name 
of  Moses  Hincle.  There  is,  however,  some  uncertainty  as  to  how 
long  this  class  was  continued.  In  the  month  of  March  of  that  year 
the  Bowlus  family  came  from  Maryland  and 'settled  near  Lower 
Sandusky,  on  the  Muscalonge. 

In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  Joel  Strahn  and  his  wife  moved 
from  Perry  County  and  settled  on  a  farm  three  miles  up  the  San- 
dusky  River,  afterwards  known  as  the  Hafford  farm. 

The  reorganization  of  the  class  in  1822  by  Mr.  Montgomery 
marks  the  beginning  of  the  Methodist  Church  in  Fremont,  Ohio. 
The  class  was  composed  of  eleven  members:  Jacob,  Sarah,  Mar- 
garet, Susan,  Elizabeth,  and  Sophia  Bowlus ;  Joel  and  Sarah  Strahn, 
Nancy  Holloway,  Thomas  L.  Hawkins,  and  Thomas  White. 

Joel  Strahn  was  appointed  class  leader.  Soon  after  the  or- 
ganization, Rebecca  Prior,  Mrs.  Wilson,  and  Mrs.  Geyer  united 
with  the  class. 

At  the  date  of  the  organization  the  Rev.  Thomas  Weddle  was 
the  presiding  elder  of  the  Lancaster  District,  Ohio  Conference. 

James  Mclntyre,  a  local  preacher  in  Huron  County,  Ohio, 
visited  Lower  Sandusky  and  preached  frequently  for  the  newly 
organized  class.  The  services  were  held  in  the  old  two-room  stone 
schoolhouse  which  stood  on  the  west  end  of  the  lot  now  occupied 
by  the  new  high  school  building. 

In  the  fall  of  1822  John  and  Nathan  Walker  were  appointed 
to  the  Huron  Circuit,  and  Lower  Sandusky  or  Fremont  was  one 
of  their  appointments  the  rest  of  the  year. 

In  the  fall  of  1823  the  Rev.  Wm.  Swazy,  the  presiding  elder, 
instructed  Benaja  Boardman,  a  local  preacher,  to  organize  a  cir- 
cuit along  the  Sandusky  River,  with  Lower  Sandusky  as  its  head. 
The  success  of  the  year  was  so  great  and  assuring  that  at  the 
session  of  the  Ohio  Conference  in  1824  Lower  Sandusky  Circuit 
was  entered  in  the  Minutes  as  a  Conference  appointment,  and  the 
Rev.  E.  H.  Fields,  a  young  man  just  entering  the  ministry,  was 
appointed  pastor.  Elijah  H.  Fields  was  for  many  years  an  hon- 
ored member  of  the  Cincinnati  Conference.  His  residence  during 
his  superannuation  was  in  St.  Paris,  Champaign  County,  where 
he  died  at  an  advanced  age. 


204 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


The  year  Mr.  Fields  was  pastor  the  circuit  reported  ninety- 
seven  members,  and  the  Rev.  James  C.  Melntire  was  presiding 
elder.  Father  Fields  was  a  man  of  exact  speech.  A  brother  min- 
ister, when  walking  with  Mr.  Fields  one  bright,  sunny  morning  in 
March,  observed,  "It  is  warmer  to-day."  "Not  so  cold,  you  mean," 
replied  Mr.  Fields. 

In  1825  the  Rev.  J.  W.  Clarke  was  appointed  pastor,  and  after- 
ward Arza  Brown,  during  whose  pastorate  the  Church  was  blessed 
with  a  gracious  revival. 

The  pastors  of  the  charge  from  1828  to  the  present  were:     J. 


y 


FIRST  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH,  FREMONT,  O. 

Hill  and  J.  Billings;  Benj.  Cooper  and  Win.  Sprague;  Rev.  Russel 
Bigelow,  one  of  Ohio's  eminent  and  eloquent  Methodist  preachers, 
was  at  this  time  presiding  elder;  Elihu  Day  and  E.  B.  Chase;  Elim 
Young  and  J.  C.  Martin;  C.  Goddard  and  A.  B.  Austin,  and  Henry 
O.  Sheldon,  presiding  elders  down  to  1834. 

In  that  year  the  cholera  almost  depopulated  Lower  Sandusky, 
the  scourge  being  so  dreadful  as  to  frighten  everybody  out  of  the 
village  excepting  Mr.  Birchard,  uncle  of  Gen.  R.  B.  Hayes,  Judge 
Hildreth,  and  Dr.  Rawson. 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.       205 

The  Rev.  Jas.  T.  Kellam,  who  was  the  pastor  at  the  time, 
hearing  of  the  grave  situation  and  the  awful  pestilence,  extended 
his  help  to  those  men  in  burying  the  dead.  When  the  disease  had 
abated  and  the  terrorized  inhabitants  had  returned  to  their  homes 
and  occupations,  steps  were  immediately  taken  by  the  congregation 
to  build  a  church ;  a  lot  was  purchased  on  the  corner  of  Arch  and 
Garrison  Streets,  and  on  it  a  frame  building,  with  a  basement 
under  the  front  part,  was  erected  and  ready  for  occupancy  some 
time  in  1836.  In  the  meantime  services  were  held  in  the  old  stone 
schoolhouse. 

The  trustees  of  the  Church  .were  Samuel  Treat,  Thomas  L. 
Hawkins,  Henry  Beck,  Jesse  Emerson,  Jacob  Bowlus,  and  Henry 
Prior ;  Jacob  Bowlus  is  the  only  one  of  the  trustees  now  living. 

The  Sunday  school  was  organized  when  the  church  was  dedi- 
cated. For  six  or  seven  years  a  union  school  had  been  conducted 
on  the  East  Side,  on  East  Street,  in  a  house  that  stood  near  the 
place  where  the  Herbrand  shops  are  located.  Jacob  Bowlus  was 
one  of  the  original  members  of  that  school. 

The  order  in  which  the  pastors  came  after  1834  is:  J.  Kin- 
near:  J.  H.  Pitzel  ;  Wesley  J.  Wells  and  Leonard  Hill,  in  1836,  when 
the  church  was  dedicated;  Leonard  Hill  and  Osborne  Mennette; 
Peter  Sharp  and  B.  Blanchard,  with  Dr.  Adam  Poe  as  presiding 
elder,  who  was  afterward  one  of  the  Book  Agents  at  Cincinnati. 

In  1838,  on  account  of  the  enfeebled  health  of  Mr.  Sharp, 
Lower  Sandusky  was  made  a  station,  and  Mr.  Sharp  continued  in 
charge. 

In  1839  Lower  Sandusky  was  in  the  Michigan  Conference,  but 
for  one  year  only,  with  Wesley  Brock  as  pastor.  In  1840  Alexander 
B.  Campbell  was  pastor,  Wm.  Rumells  presiding  elder,  and,  the 
work  becoming  greatly  disorganized,  Lower  Sandusky  ceased  to 
be  a  station  and  was  made  a  part  of  the  Lower  Sandusky  and 
Ottawa  Mission. 

In  1840  the  North  Ohio  Conference  was  formed  out  of  the  Ohio, 
at  Xorwalk,  Ohio,  Bishop  Hedding  presiding,  and  the  territory  of 
Fremont  was  included  in  its  business.  The  pastors  were  Thomas 
Thompson  and  Darius  Dodge;  Samuel  P.  Shaw  and  Hibbard  J. 
Ward;  W.  G.  Heustis  and  Joseph  Kenneda  and  S.  Fairchilds. 

The  Quarterly  Conference  records  show  that  in  1845  Port  Clin- 
ton, Salem  Chapel  (on  Wolf  Creek),  Grills'  Meeting  House, 


206  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

Cooley's  Class  (seven  miles  south  of  Fremont),  Bettsville,  the  Stone 
Church  (in  Washington  Township),  Rock  Church  (on  Lake  Erie), 
and  Bowlus  Church  were  associated  with  Lower  Sandusky.  Joseph 
B.  Jones  and  Jacob  T.  Caples  were  the  pastors ;  then  Jones  again, 
and  T.  L.  Waite. 

In  1848,  Joseph  Rees  and  James  Elliott,  pastors,  and  Thomas 
Barkdull,  presiding  elder.  The  allowance  for  ministerial  support 
was:  "Bro.  Rees,  quarterage,  $200;  table  expenses,  $75;  fuel,  $25; 
horse  feed,  $26,  and  for  extra  traveling  expenses,  $20.  Bro. 
Elliott,  quarterage,  $100;  horse  feed,  $10;  and  Bro.  Barkdull,  pre- 
siding elder,  $48." 


FIRST  CHURCH,  FREMONT.     (PRESENT  BUILDING.) 

In  1849  Samuel  M.  Beatty  and  Stillman  George,  a  local  preacher, 
were  on  the  work,  and  Fremont  was  made  a  station,  with  Fremont 
as  the  name  of  the  charge,  Lower  Sandusky  being  discarded. 

In  that  year  the  trustees  purchased  the  lot  on  which  the  church 
now  stands  and  erected  a  brick  building,  which  was  begun  in  1850 
and  completed  in  the  following  year.  Samuel  M.  Beatty  was  re- 
turned to  the  church  in  1850,  and  Fremont  was  included  in  the 
Tiffin  District,  with  W.  B.  Disbro  as  presiding  elder. 

The  membership  numbered  155.  The  list  of  pastors  of  the 
charge  thereafter  was :  Dorcas  Dodge,  Wesley  J.  Wells,  W.  H. 
Seely,  L.  A.  Pounds,  Jacob  T.  Caples. 

In    1856,   when   the   Central   Ohio   Conference   was   organized, 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.       207 

Fremont  fell  into  its  territory.      Chas.   G.   Ferris,  Wm.   S.   Lunt. 
pastors  in  succession. 

The  old  parsonage  on  Garrison  Street  had  been  sold  in  1850, 
and  another  home  was  secured  on  High  Street,  and  during  that  year 
this  property  was  sold,  and  a  parsonage  built  on  the  north  end  of 
the  church  lot  in  1861. 

In  1861  Simeon  H.  Alderman  was  pastor;  then  E.  B.  Morrison, 
Amos  Wilson,  and  Joseph  Wykes,  with  Loring  C.  Webster  as  pre- 
siding elder;  then  Geo.  W.  Collier  and  Franklin  Marriott,  with 
W.  W.  Winter  presiding  elder  of  the  Findlay  District;  then  Ger- 
shom  Lease,  Isaac  Newton,  J.  W.  Miller,  with  Alexander  Harmount 
as  presiding  elder;  then  Adam  C.  Barnes,  T.  H.  Wilson,  and  D.  D. 
Mather,  with  I.  R.  Henderson  on  the  district. 

In  August  the  corner-stone  of  the  new  church  was  laid,  Ex- 
President  Hayes  presiding.  At  this  time  L.  E.  Prentiss  was  pastor 
and  E.  D.  Whitlock  was  presiding  elder,  the  charge  being  in  the 
Toledo  District;  then  John  M.  Mills,  pastor,  and  Parker  P.  Pope 
as  presiding  elder,  in  1887.  In  February,  1888,  the  church  building 
was  badly  damaged  by  fire,  and  on  the  same  day  of  the  fire  the 
Official  Board  met,  when,  on  motion  of  General  Hayes,  it  was 
decided  to  begin  at  once  to  rebuild  the  church  and  parsonage,  and  a 
subscription  of  $15,000  was  immediately  secured. 

R.  B.  Hayes,  David  June,  E.  A.  Bristol,  T.  F.  Siegfried,  and 
John  Steerwalt  comprised  the  Building  Committee.  The  Rev.  John 
W.  Hamilton,  D.  D.,  now  bishop,  dedicated  the  church  in  1883.. 
and  rededicated  the  one  built  in  1888-89. 

John  M.  Mills  was  the  pastor  when  the  church  was  rededicated, 
succeeded  by  J.  L.  Albritton,  W.  G.  Waters,  with  L.  A.  Belt,  pre-> 
Aiding  elder;  then  T.  L.  Wiltsee,  and  J.  L.  Albritton,  presiding 
elder;  then  J.  W.  Holland,  pastor,  and  W.  W.  Lance,  presiding 
elder;  then  D.  H..  Bailey,  pastor,  and  E.  D.  Whitlock,  district 
superintendent;  then  E.  D.  Whitlock,  pastor,  and  James  H.  Fit/- 
water, district  superintendent,  and  then  M.  E.  Ketcham,  pastor. 

The  present  membership  embraces  about  seven  hundred  persons. 
The  present  pastor  is  Rev.  J.  F.  Harshbarger,  D.  D.,  with  Rev. 
E.  O.  Crist,  D.  D.,  as  district  superintendent,  since  Fremont  was 
transferred  to  the  Toledo  District  at  the  first  session  of  the  West 
Ohio  Conference,  in  Urbana,  September,  1913. 


208 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


FOREST  CHURCH. 

Forest  society  was  organized  in  1859  as  a  part  of  Wyandot 
Mission,  with  Robert  Stevenson  and  Elijah  White,  class  leaders,  and 
William  Swearingen,  steward.  Lorenzo  D.  Rogers  was  pastor  from 
1859  to  1861.  In  1860  Forest  was  made  the  head  of  a  circuit, 
with  Bainbridge,  Swartz,  Goes,  Parlette,  and  Hollingshead,  in  Ken- 
ton  District.  Forest  remained  as  the  head  of  a  circuit  until  1896, 


FOREST  CHURCH. 

when  it  was  made  a  station.  In  1884  it  was  placed  in  Findlay 
District,  and  in  1889  in  Delaware  District.  The  appointments  in 
the  circuit  have  varied  during  the  years  from  two  to  nine  in  number. 

L.  D.  Rogers  was  the  first  minister  of  any  denomination  to 
reside  in  Forest.  A  church  was  begun  by  him,  but  never  com- 
pleted. The  first  church  was  built  under  the  pastorate  of  Jas.  G. 
DeLisle,  in  1864. 

During  the  pastorate  of  C.  C.  Kennedy  a  new  church  was 
erected  at  a  cost  of  about  $8,400,  and  dedicated  May  11,  1902. 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        209 


On  June  26th  of  the  same  year  the  church  was  burned  to  the  ground. 
The  insurance  of  $5,000  was  paid,  and  the  Church  heroically  under- 
took to  build  another  and  even  much  better  structure.  The  cost 
was  about  $10,000.  This  was  dedicated  May  31,  1903. 

During  the  pastorate  of  D.  G.  Hall,  the  old  parsonage  was 
sold,  removed,  and  a  new  one  with  all  modern  conveniences  erected 
in  its  stead,  at  a  cost  of  about  $4,000. 

During  recent  pastorates  Forest  has  been  making  rapid  strides 
along  all  lines  of  Church  work,  until  it  has  become  one  of  the  most 
enthusiastic,  aggressive  stations  in  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

Rev.  G.  B.  Wiltsie  is  the  present  pastor. 

FORT  RECOVERY  CHARGE. 

It  is  impossible  to  give  a  correct  account  of  the  beginning  of 
Methodism  in  this  place,  as  all  early  records  were  lost  in  an  ex- 
plosion some  years  ago.  The  people  who  could  give  reliable  in- 
formation are  either  dead  or  have  moved  away.  It  can  be  said, 
however,  that  Methodism  came  with  the  early  pioneers  and  took 
deep  root.  The  names  of  McDaniel  and  Roop  will  be  ever  asso- 
ciated with  these  early  days. 

A  permanent  structure  was  built  in  1875,  but  in  1893  it  was 
partially  destroyed  by  lightning.  The  present  commodious  brick 
building  was  then  erected,  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  B.  W.  Day. 
Though  in  late  years  there  has  been  an  exodus  of  some  of  the  best 
families.  Methodism  still  holds  up  its  head  and  in  the  religious 
life  of  the  town  "needeth  not  to  be  ashamed." 

ERASTUS. 

This  is  a  small  hamlet  about  ten  miles  northeast  of  Fort  Re- 
covery. In  1909,  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  J.  H.  Butler,  efforts 
were  made  to  get  a  permanent  home.  Mrs.  Tom  Scott  gave  a  large 
tract  of  land,  and  there  is  now  a  fine  brick  building,  one  of  the 
finest  country  churches  for  miles  around. 

WASHINGTON  CHAPEL. 

This  is  the  name  given  to  a  church  nine  miles  directly  north  of 
Fort  Recovery.  In  later  years,  through  the  generosity  of  Mr. 
John  Betz,  the  church  was  erected,  when  Rev.  W.  S.  Philpott  was 
the  pastor. 

H 


210  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

GIBSONBURG  CHURCH. 

The  Gibsonburg  society  dates  back  to  1873,  in  which  year  Rev. 
C.  W.  Wolff  was  appointed  to  preach  here  regularly.  There  are 
evidences  that  some  infrequent  services  were  held  prior  to  this  date. 

Following  Rev.  C.  W.  Wolff  came  Rev.  J.  L.  Scott,  who,  after 
a  gracious  revival,  organized  the  first  class. 

The  early  society  was  attached  to  a  circuit  composed  of  Wood- 
ville,  Burgoon,  and  Washington  Chapel. 

In  1875  Rev.  Daniel  Carter  was  appointed  to  the  work  as 
supply,  and  the  services  were  conducted  in  an  old  log  church,  called 
the  Basswood  Church. 

In  1876,  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  John  Houghtby,  a  frame 
schoolhouse  was  purchased  and  moved  to  the  present  site,  and  for 
a  long  time  was  known  as  "The  Little  Brown  Jug."  It  still  adjoins 
the  Sunday  school  room  of  the  church. 

The  ministers  serving  the  charge  since  1878  were  as  follows: 
Andrew  J.  Frisbie,  Charles  Hoag,  C.  W.  Collinge,  Joseph  Good, 
W.  R.  Shultz,  G.  A.  Criger,  Henry  Boyers,  James  W.  Shultz,  Robert 
Olive,  John  A.  Lucy,  E.  G.  Brumbaugh,  Daniel  Stecker,  F.  E. 
Higbie,  N.  S.  Brackney,  H.  J.  Jewett,  C.  J.  Yiesley,  John  F. 
Strete,  C.  W.  Collinge,  and  Ralph  Wright. 

During  the  pastorate  of  James  W.  Shultz  a  new  church  was 
built,  at  an  estimated  cost  of  $2,000,  and  was  dedicated  December 
21,  1889,  by  W.  H.  Gibson. 

During  the  pastorate  of  E.  G.  Brumbaugh,  from  1893-1895, 
improvements  were  made  upon  the  parsonage  costing  $125,  and 
also  a  small  addition  was  added  to  the  Church  at  a  cost  of  $275. 

Brother  John  F.  Strete  passed  to  his  reward  during  his  pas- 
torate on  this  charge,  and  the  work  was  served  by  C.  W.  Collinge, 
who  came  to  serve  for  the  second  time  on  this  charge.  During 
the  pastorate  of  Revs.  John  F.  Strete  and  Charles  W.  Collinge, 
extensive  improvements  were  made  both  in  the  church  and  parson- 
age at  a  cost  of  about  $3,000,  a  fine  basement  having  been  added. 

The  present  pastor,  Rev.  Ralph  Wright,  took  the  work  in  the 
fall  of  1912,  by  regular  appointment,  and  is  now  in  the  second 
year  of  his  pastorate.  During  this  year  it  became  necessary  to  re- 
cement  the  basement  on  account  of  leakage.  This  improvement 
cost  $150. 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.       211 


The  Church  is  in  a  thriving  condition,  without  any  indebtedness 
and  with  a  young  and  vigorous  membership,  having  a  Sunday  school 
with  an  average  attendance  of  175. 

GILBOA  CHURCH. 

The  Methodist  Church  in  Gilboa  was  organized  in  1833,  with 
Samuel  Hall  and  wife,  Moses  Williams  and  wife,  Sarah  Crafus, 
Louisa  Gensinger,  G.  W.  Mont- 
gomery, and  Samuel  McDon- 
gal  as  charter  members. 

At  first  it  was  connected 
with  McComb  Circuit,  later 
with  Leipsic  Circuit,  and  after- 
wards it  became  the  head  of 
Gilboa  Circuit,  which  em- 
braced at  first  Pleasant  Chapel, 
Shawtown,  and  Pandora. 

In  1911  Gilboa  was  made 
a  station,  with  the  Rev.  E.  H. 
Snow  as  pastor. 

The  ministers  who  have 
served  the  Church  are:  Eli 
Myers,  S.  R.  Colgan,  J.  W. 
Shultz,  Wm.  J.  Green,  E.  S. 
Keeler,  J.  B.  Gottschall,  J.  H. 

Cater,    Samuel    Given,    L.    B. 

o     -1.1.      *ir      r      XT     i_       T      T»T         REV.  CHARLES  E.  ROWLEY,  PASTOR. 
Smith,    M.    J.    Nash,    J.    W. 

Miller,  E.  H.  Snow,  and  C.  E.  Rowley,  the  present  pastor. 

GRAND  RAPIDS  CHURCH,  GRAND  RAPIDS,  OHIO. 

The  Grand  Rapids  society  in  its  earlier  history  was  associated 
with  the  Waterville  Circuit  for  some  years. 

In  1876  it  became  the  head  of  the  Grand  Rapids  Circuit. 
Through  the  years  many  changes  have  come.  Nearly  all  the 
Churches  in  the  surrounding  territory  have  at  one  time  or  another 
been  associated  with  Grand  Rapids. 

At  present  the  Grand  Rapids  Charge  consists  of  Grand  Rapids, 
Damascus,  Tontogany,  and  Providence  Chapel. 


212 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


The  Grand  Rapids  church  building  is  a  brick  structure,  well 
built,  presenting  a  neat  appearance  and  quite  well  adapted  to  the 
needs  of  the  society. 

A  good,  comfortable  parsonage  is  located  at  Grand  Rapids. 
The  Rev.  B.  F.  Gordon,  the  present  pastor,  is  in  his  third  year  of 
successful  service  on  this  charge. 

HUNTSVILLE  CHURCH. 

In  the  summer  of  1823  a  series  of  meetings  was  held  by  the 
Methodists  at  the  home  of  Mr.  Sam'l  Richards,  one-half  mile  south- 
west of  Cherokee,  where  the  first  Methodist  class  was  formed,  prob- 
ably  by   the   Rev.    Robert   Casebolt,   a 
zealous  local  preacher. 

The  class  or  society  organized  at 
that  time  was  the  nucleus  of  the  present 
Church  which  now  occupies  the  com- 
modious brick  building  in  Huntsville. 

The   first  class   was   almost  wholly 
formed   of   the    families   of   Sam'l   and 
John  Richards,  John  Russell,  Fender- 
grass,    Lease,    Benjamin    Winters    and 
wife,  Calvin  Pratt  and  wife,  and  others 
joining  soon  afterwards.     None  of  the 
original  members  are  left,  but  several 
of   their   children — Mrs.    Sarah   Work- 
man,  of   Huntsville,   and   Mrs.    Nancy 
Fisher,  of  Urbana,  still  survive. 
In  1841  a  camp-meeting  was  held  on  the  farm  of  Sam'l  Rich- 
ards, at  which  there  were  many  conversions.     A  man  by  the  name 
of  Wilson  had  charge  of  the  meeting. 

The  early  meetings  of  the  class  were  held  in  the  cabins  of  the 
settlers  and  in  a  log  schoolhouse,  until  the  time  of  the  camp-meeting, 
and  probably  longer.  Then  a  plot  of  ground  was  secured  on  the 
public  road  southwest  of  Cherokee,  near  the  residence  of  Peter  F/. 
Lemory,  and  on  it  a  plain  frame  building  was  erected. 

This  church  was  probably  built  in  the  year  1843  or  1844.  Here 
the  society  continued  to  worship  until  the  year  1866,  when  it  re- 
moved to  Huntsville,  and  a  larger  and  better  frame  church  was 
built  in  the  village. 


REV.  SHERIDAN  T.  WALKER, 
PASTOR. 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        213 

In  1892,  under  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  Manoah  D.  Scott,  the 
present  beautiful  church  edifice  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  about 
$8,000.  Bishop  James  W.  Bashford,  D.  D.,  at  that  time  president 
of  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University,  dedicated  the  church. 

The  list  of  pastors  serving  the  society  since  1818  is  as  follows: 
Cravens,  Caples,  Gudman,  Kalb,  Powers,  Paul  Guiberson,  Samuel 
Lynch,  R.  D.  Oldfield,  D.  G.  Strong,  A.  Berry,  Webster,  P.  A. 
Drown,  Stubbs,  J.  A.  Wright,  D.  D.  S.  Reagh,  J.  M.  Longfellow, 
Philip  Lemasters,  Chas.  Farnsworth,  T.  I.  Jagger,  S.  H.  Alderman, 
Benj.  Herbert,  Samuel  Boggs,  J.  C.  Miller,  M.  D.  Scott,  J.  M. 
Deweese,  Mortimer  Gascoigne,  R.  N.  Boardman,  C.  G.  Smith,  J.  C. 
Crider,  E.  T.  Dailey,  G.  H.  Walcott,  H.  Baumgardner,  Sheridan 
T.  Walker. 

Huntsville  was  for  a  number  of  years  a  station,  but  recently  it 
has  been  connected  with  the  Pleasant  Grove  Church. 

FIRST  CHURCH,  KENTON. 

Methodism  in  Kenton,  Ohio,  was  first  organized  by  the  Rev. 
Thomas  Thompson,  a  Methodist  missionary  stationed  on  the  Wyan- 
dot  Indian  Reservation  at  Upper 
Sandusky,  in  1832.  The  organiza- 
tion took  place  at  the  cabin  of 
George  H.  Houser,  in  what  is  now 
the  east  part  of  town.  The  society 
as  formed  was  composed  of  eight 
members:  Geo.  H.  Houser  and  wife, 
Jacob  H.  Houser  and  wife,  and 
Samuel  and  Wm.  Wilmoth  and  their 
wives.  Geo.  H.  Houser  was  made 
first  class  leader.  Circuit  riders 
once  in  two  or  three  weeks  came 
this  way  and  preached.  In  1833  the 
accessions  of  Mrs.  Christina  Furncy,  REV.  WM.  McK.  BRACKXEY,  D.  D. 
Joseph  Nichols  and  wife,  and  Martin  PASTOR. 

Badley  and  wife  occurred.  Emigration  in  1834-  brought  more  Meth- 
odists, and  then  appear  the  names  of  Samuel  Badley,  wife,  and 
daughter,  Ellen;  John  C.  Dille,  Alexander  Hitchinson  and  wife, 
Samuel  Campbell  and  wife,  Jonas  Combs  and  wife,  Mrs.  David 
Goodin,  and  Mrs.  Hugh  Letson,  up  to  the  year  1839. 


214 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


The  names  of  the  regular  preachers  up  to  1843  were:  1832  to 
1835,  Revs.  Kinnear  and  Camp;  1835,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Fleming;  then 
came  Revs.  Brakefield,  Philip  Wareham,  Martin  Welsh,  and  S.  P. 
Shaw,  while  Rev.  Elnathan  C.  Gavitt  was  often  here  during  these 
years. 

A  log  schoolhouse  was  used  as  a  place  of  worship  until   1839, 


FIRST  CHURCH,  KENTOX,  O. 

when  a  frame  structure,  35  x  40  feet,  was  built  on  the  corner  of 
Wayne  and  Ohio  Streets.  In  a  few  years  this  structure  was  en- 
larged to  twice  its  length,  so  that  it  was  35  x  80  feet,  when  it  was 
"dubbed"  the  "steamboat  church."  This  structure  was  superseded 
by  a  brick  structure  on  North  Main  Street  in  1851,  which  in  1886 
was  enlarged  by  a  twin-towered  front.  In  1890  this  building  was 
destroyed  by  fire  and  the  present  beautiful  church  was  built. 

From  1843  the  pastors,  in  the  order  of  their  appointment,  have 
been:     W.  W.  Nickerson,  C.  .Thomas,  N.  H.  Barker,  H.  P.  Ward, 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        215 

J.  Bunker  and  A.  Rumfield,  John  Blaenfied  and  T.  J.  Gard,  W.  G. 
Ward  and  W.  W.  Mimer,  John  S.  Kalb,  J.  M.  Holmes,  G.  W. 
Collier,  T.  J.  Monnett,  Chas.  W.  Ketcham,  Chas.  G.  Ferris,  Alex- 
ander Nelson,  Joseph  Ayers,  Alexander  Harmount,  Chas.  Reynolds, 
W.  W.  Winter,  Ambrose  Hollington,  Isaac  Newton,  Samuel  L. 
Roberts,  Park  S.  Donalson,  T.  H.  Wilson,  D.  D.  Mather,  Jos.  A. 
Ferguson,  Oliver  Kennedy,  I.  R.  Henderson,  W.  J.  Hodges,  E.  D. 
Whitlock,  T.  H.  Campbell,  J.  H.  Fitzwater,  Jos.  H.  Bethards, 
R.  D.  Hollington,  E.  E.  McCammon,  P.  A.  Crow,  and  Wm.  McK. 
Brackney. 

The  presiding  elders  and  district  superintendents  from  the  time 
Kenton  became  a  station,  in  their  order,  are:  Samuel  Lynch,  J.  A. 
Kelam,  W.  J.  Wells,  J.  M.  Holmes,  Elnathan  C.  Gavitt,  S.  H. 
Alderman,  Wm.  S.  Pane,  Joseph  Ayers,  David  Rutledge,  Gershom 
Lease,  L.  A.  Belt,  E.  D.  Whitlock,  Andrew  J.  Fish,  T.  H.  Camp- 
bell, C.  R.  Havighurst,  David  H.  Bailey,  and  B.  F.  Reading. 

The  church  edifice  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  houses  of  worship 
in  the  Conference,  and  the  parsonage,  located  some  three  blocks 
north,  is  a  large  and  pleasant  home. 

The  Sunday  school  has  a  large  enrollment,  and  the  Church 
membership  numbers  1,040. 

LIMA  METHODISM— TRINITY  CHURCH,  LIMA. 

Methodist  services  were  first  held  in  the  vicinity  of  Lima  in 
1820.  The  Rev.  Robert  Finley  was  the,  first  missionary  in  this 
part  of  Ohio. 

In  1830  the  Rev.  James  Austin  was  missionary  in  this  section, 
and  Lima  was  an  appointment  on  the  St.  Marys  Mission,  in  the 
Maumee  District,  which  included  the  counties  of  Allen,  Auglaize, 
Mercer,  Putnam,  and  Van  Wert. 

The  first  Methodist  services  in  Lima  were  held  in  1833,  in  the 
little  log  courthouse  on  South  Main  Street,  and  the  first  quarterly 
meeting  was  held  in  that  place  in  the  same  year,  with  the  Rev. 
W.  H.  Raper  as  presiding  elder  and  the  Rev.  John  Alexander 
as  minister. 

Mrs.  Lydia  Holland,  a  resident  of  Lima,  was  present  at  the 
communion  service  on  that  occasion,  eighty  years  ago. 

From  an  account  of  early  Methodism  in  Lima  and  vicinity  by 


2l6  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


Mrs.  Geo.  Vickery,  of  Lima,  we  insert  the  following  interesting 
incident : 

"I  was  quite  a  favorite  friend  of  the  Rev.  John  Alexander  and 
often,  though  only  twelve  years  of  age,  accompanied  him  to  near  by 
services.  The  settlers  were  all  eager  for  the  Master's  news,  and 
an  announcement  that  a  meeting  would  be  held  in  a  certain  cabin 
was  sufficient,  to  summon  everybody  for  miles  around. 

"On  this  particular  occasion,  one  Sunday  morning,  Mr.  Alex- 
ander rode  up  to  my  father's  cabin  and  asked  him  to  allow  me  to 
accompany  him  to  Brother  Anthony's,  some  two  or  three  miles 


TRINITY  CHURCH,  LIMA,  O. 

from  our  home.  Consent  was  readily  given,  and  I  climbed  on  the 
horse,  behind  Mr.  Alexander,  and  we  were  on  our  way.  It  led 
through  the  fastnesses  of  unbroken  forests  south  and  west  of  where 
the  Children's  Home  now  is. 

"It  was  in  the  spring  of  the  year,  and  the  whole  country  was 
practically  under  water;  and  it  seemed  sometimes  that  our  horse 
would  swamp.  At  length  we  arrived  at  the  cabin,  which  consisted 
of  one  room,  and  in  it  were  gathered  about  a  dozen  persons. 

"The  scene  has  never  faded  from  my  memory.  On  the  roaring 
fire  in  the  fireplace,  which  practically  occupied  one  end  of  the 
room,  a  chicken — 'the  conventional  meal  for  preachers  and  their 
escort' — was  stewing  in  an  iron  pot,  swung  from  a  crane,  in  prepara- 
tion for  dinner ;  cornbread  was  baking  in  a  covered  skillet,  buried 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        217 


in  the  coals  and  ashes  on  the  hearth.  [My !  this  brings  up  savory 
memories ! — EDITOR.] 

"Mr.  Alexander  conducted  regular  services  and  preached  a  pow- 
erful sermon.  Following  the  close  of  the  services,  class  meeting 
was  held. 

"Services  over,  a  dinner  of  chicken,  cornbread,  butter,  and  coffee 
was  served,  and  after  singing  and  prayer,  the  gathering  dispersed." 

In  1835  the  first  church  in  Lima  was  built.  At  that  time  the 
entire  tax  valuation  of  Lima  was  about  $6,100. 

This  little,  unpretentious  structure  stood  on  the  west  side  of 
Xorth  Union  Street,  between  Market  and  Spring  Streets,  and  filled 
the  demands  of  society  and  town  for  a  number  of  years.  Mrs. 
McHaffey,  of  Lafayette,  attended  Church  and  school  in  the  one- 
room  building.  Here  she  was  converted  and  united  with  the 
Church.  The  Rev.  John  Beiler,  father  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Beiler . 
D.  D.,  known  throughout  the  Church,  led  the  singing,  lining  the 
hymns  and  using  a  tuning-fork  to  get  the  right  pitch. 

In  1852  Lima  was  growing  rapidly,  and  in  that  year  a  two- 
story  church  was  built  on  the  lot  owned  and  occupied  by  the  old 
Church,  the  southwest  corner  of  East  Market  and  Union  Streets. 

For  many  years  the  Methodist  congregation  from  a  little  hand- 
ful grew  and  flourished.  The  first  story  of  this  second  and  new 
church  was  of  red  brick,  and  the  second  was  of  frame,  with  a 
steeple  and  a  bell. 

As  in  the  old  church,  so  in  this,  the  first  story  or  basement  was 
used  for  school  purposes,  the  rental  of  which  aided  in  meeting  the 
expenditures  of  the  society. 

"Of  the  founders  of  the  church  built  in  1835,  but  one  name 
would  be  recalled  by  the  present  generation — that  of  Hudson  Watt, 
father-in-law  of  Mrs.  W.  L.  Watt. 

"Hudson  Watt  was  a  man  of  strong  personality,  powerful  in 
prayer,  and  with  a  voice  so  strong  that  Mother  Halter  says  that, 
sitting  in  her  home  two  blocks  away,  his  prayers  could  be  dis- 
tinctly heard." 

Sometime  in  the  early  seventies  a  new  church  project  was 
launched,  and  "Old  Trinity"  was  soon  under  way,  $4,000  being 
paid  for  the  site  on  the  northwest  corner  of  West  Market  and 
Elizabeth  Streets. 

For  three  or  four  years  services  were  held  in  the  basement  of 


2l8  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

the  building,  the  structure  not  being  completed  until  in  1876,  when 
the  church  was  dedicated  by  Bishop  Randolph  S.  Foster,  D.  D. 

The  text  from  which  he  preached  a  great  and  memorable  sermon 
was,  "For  the  invisible  things  of  Him  from  the  creation  of  the 
world  are  clearly  seen,  being  understood  by  the  things  that  are 
made,  even  His  eternal  power  and  Godhead." 

The  following  names  appear  in  the  list  of  subscribers  on  the 
day  of  dedication:  Daniel  Angel,  Henry  Parham,  H.  S.  Prophet, 
Dr.  Foltz,  Dr.  Geo.  Hall,  Geo.  Keve,  Samuel  Keve,  S.  K.  Krans, 
I.  M.  Monk,  D.  R.  Reynolds,  John  Black,  Jas.  Black,  Henry 
Bolton,  Jonathan  Custart,  W.  K.  Boone,  Geo.  Faurot,  Mrs.  Wm. 
Bell,  Mrs.  S.  A.  Baxter,  Mrs.  Boose,  Mrs.  Fountaine,  Mrs.  John  L. 
Hughes,  Mrs.  C.  M.  Hughes,  Mrs.  Hardesty,  Mrs.  D.  E.  Kip- 
linger,  Mrs.  J.  S.  Karns,  Mrs.  Fredericks,  Mrs.  S.  A.  Smith,  Mrs. 
Polser,  Mrs.  Wycoff,  Mrs.  H.  A.  Moore,  Mrs.  W.  L.  Watt,  Jos. 
McKinney,  Mrs.  Ashton,  Mrs.  Treat. 

During  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  Thos.  H.  Campbell  the  old 
church  property,  known  as  "Old  Trinity,"  was  sold,  and  a  site  on 
West  Market  Street,  on  the  corner  of  Market  and  West  Streets, 
was  purchased,  and  on  it  a  fine  stone  edifice  costing  about  $125,000 
was  erected. 

This  magnificent  church  edifice  contains  forty-two  rooms,  and 
is  one  of  the  most  complete  churches  in  Northwestern  Ohio.  In 
order  to  realize  this  splendid  achievement  in  church  architecture 
and  in  providing  the  growing  city  of  Lima  with  a  church  building 
adapted  to  all  the  needs  and  purposes  of  an  institutional  Church, 
the  Ladies'  Aid  Society  has  contributed  the  sum  of  $20,000.  The 
church  was  dedicated  March  17,  1912,  by  Bishop  Wm.  F.  Mc- 
Dowell, D.  D.,  assisted  by  the  Rev.  William  D.  Parr,  S.  T.  D. ; 
the  Rev.  T.  H.  Campbell,  Ph.  D.;  the  Rev.  M.  B.  C.  Fuller,  D.  D., 
pastor  at  present  and  at  the  time  of  the  dedication,  and  the  Rev. 
M.  M.  Figley,  D.  D.,  the  district  superintendent  of  Lima  District. 

Trinity  has  a  membership  of  1,450,  and  has  greatly  assisted 
in  the  founding  of  Grace,  with  a  membership  of  1,150;  Epworth, 
with  465  members,  and  Second  Street,  having  300. 

Simeon  H.  Alderman,  Jas.  M.  Morrow,  Hiram  Shaffer,  Wm.  W. 
Winters,  T.  H.  Wilson,  Oliver  Kennedy,  Franklin  Marriott,  1.  R. 
Henderson,  L.  C.  Webster,  E.  A.  Berry,  Isaac  Newton,  Park  S. 
Donelson,  J.  Francis  Davies,  Richard  Wallace,  Andrew  J.  Fish, 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        219 

T.  L.  Wiltsee,  J.  H.  Bethards,  W.  G.  Waters,  J.  M.  Mills,  E.  D. 
Whitlock,  M.  M.  Figley,  J.  M.  Avann,  T.  H.  Campbell,  and  M.  B. 
C.  Fuller  have  served  as  pastors;  and  Franklin  Marriott,  S.  L. 
Roberts,  Arkinson  Berry,  Alexander  Harmount,  L.  M.  Albright, 
J.  M.  Mills,  J.  H.  Fitzwater,  W.  G.  Waters,  and  M.  M.  Figley  as 
presiding  elders  or  district  superintendents. 

We  are  greatly  indebted  to  Mrs.  Geo.  M.  Vickery  for  data  and 
facts  in  the  history  of  Trinity. — EDITOR. 

GRACE  CHURCH,  LIMA. 

Grace  Church  was  organized  in  1880,  with  Jacob  Busie  and 
wife,  Joseph  Ballard  and  wife,  Robert  Snodgrass  and  wife,  and 
W.  P.  Wetherill  and  wife  as  charter  members. 

The  society  was  first  called  "Eureka,"  and  from  the  time  of 
its  organization  to  1889  it  belonged  to  the  Shawnee  Circuit.  Grace 
Church  became  a  station  in  1889. 

The  Rev.  W.  G.  Littell  was  pastor,  and  the  Rev.  Arkinson 
Berry,  presiding  elder.  The  following  ministers  have  served  the 
charge :  Frank  Maltbie,  W.  G.  Littell,  Jos.  Weber,  J.  L.  Albritton, 
Alexander  Harmount,  Josiah  F.  Crooks,  Shultz,  Dwight  R.  Cook, 
Peter  Biggs,  Stewart  Baumgardner,  L.  M.  Albright,  W.  H.  Leather- 
man,  W.  J.  Hagerman,  T.  L.  Wiltsee,  C.  C.  Kennedy,  Parker  P. 
Pope,  J.  H.  Bethards,  Hibbard  J.  Jewett,  and  W.  J.  Dunham. 

EPWORTH  CHURCH,  LIMA. 

In  the  year  1894  the  Quarterly  Conference  of  Trinity  Methodist 
Church,  Lima,  appointed  a  committee,  consisting  of  E.  Charity, 
D;r.  T.  H.  Foltz,  and  Henry  Parham,  to  secure  a  site  in  East  Lima 
for  the  erection  of  a  church. 

A  lot  was  soon  purchased  and  a  frame  structure  erected  on  it. 

The  church  was  dedicated  in  July,  1895,  by  the  Rev.  David  H. 
Moore,  D.  D.,  editor  of  the  Western  Christian  Advocate. 

The  society  was  organized  with  fifty-one  members  by  the  Rev. 
J.  F.  Olive,  the  first  pastor,  and  at  the  close  of  the  year  Epworth 
and  Junior  Epworth  Leagues  were  organized  and  the  membership 
of  the  Church  considerably  increased.  The  Rev.  E.  T.  Daily  was 
appointed  to  the  charge  in  the  fall  of  1895,  but  on  account  of 
throat  trouble  he  was  compelled  to  give  up  the  work  before  the 


220 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


year  had  ended,  and  the   Rev.   B.   F.   McCoy  was  secured   to   fill 

out  the  appointment. 

In  the  year   1896  the  Rev.   F.  A.  Zimmerman  became  pastor. 
In  1897  the  Rev.  Dwight  R.  Cook  was  appointed  to  the  work, 

remaining   two    years.      There    were    one    hundred    and    sixty-five 

members  at  the  close  of  Bro. 
Cook's  pastorate. 

In  1899  the  Rev.  George 
Wood  Anderson  became  pas- 
tor. In  the  early  part  of 
that  year  the  church  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire,  and  the  con- 
gregation was  compelled  to 
hold  services  at  first  in  a 
tombstone  shop,  and  after- 
wards in  the  city  opera  house, 
while  a  new  church  edifice 
was  in  course  of  erection. 
During  Dr.  Anderson's  pas- 
torate the  membership  had 
large  growth  and  won  atten- 

REV.  M.  C.  HOWEY,  A.  M.,  PASTOR.  tion  and  Sained  Prestige  in 

the  city. 

In  August,  1902,  the  present  church  building,  costing  $17,000, 
was  dedicated  by  the  Rev.  L.  A.  Belt,  D.  D.,  president  at  that 
time  of  the  Ohio  Northern  University.  After  four  years  of  zealous 
and  faithful  service,  increasing  the  membership  to  more  than  three 
hundred,  Dr.  Anderson  was  transferred  to  Troy,  X.  Y. 

The  next  pastor  was  the  Rev.  C.  C.  Kennedy,  who  by  faithful 
effort  succeeded  in  reducing  to  some  extent  the  debt  on  the  building. 

Brother  Kennedy  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  B.  F.  Reading, 
whose  pastorate  built  up  the  Sunday  school,  enlarged  the  Epworth 
League,  and  put  hope  into  the  congregation. 

The  Rev.  A.  H.  Weaver  became  the  next  pastor,  and  for  four 
years  he  labored  diligently  to  increase  the  membership  and  to 
liquidate  the  indebtedness.  His  stay  in  the  charge  did  much  to 
strengthen  and  popularize  the  Church. 

The  Rev.  Daniel  Stecker  then  came  to  the  Church,  and  after 
a  year  of  conscientious  labor,  was  succeeded  in  1912  by  the  Rev. 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        221 


M.  C.  Howey,  the  present  pastor,  who,  on  June  7,  1914,  conducted 
a  successful  .campaign  to  pay  up  all  the  old  indebtedness  of  thirteen 
years'  standing.  The  amount  of  the  indebtedness  was  $5,100,  and 


EPWORTH  CHUBCH,  LIMA,  O. 

$5,700    was    raised,    which    places    the    Church    on    good    financial 
standing  now. 

Epworth  Church  is  located  in  a  growing  section  of  the  city  of 
Lima,  and  bids  fair  to  become  one  of  the  strong  Churches  of  the 
Conference. 

LEIPSIC  CHURCH. 

The  Leipsic  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  one  of  the  strong 
and  aggressive  Churches  in  the  old  Central  Ohio  Conference,  was 
organized  about  the  year  1870,  most  of  the  members  of  the  newly 
organized  class  coming  from  the  Methodist  Church  in  West  Leipsic. 

For  nearly  fifteen  years  the  faithful  men  and  women  of  this 
Church  worshiped  in  the  schoolhouse  and  in  the  Lutheran  and 
Presbyterian  Churches  of  the  town. 


222 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


For  several  years  this  Church  was  a  part  of  the  Ottawa  Circuit, 
and  later  was  attached  to  the  Gilboa  Circuit.  In  the  year  1884, 
under  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  J.  S.  G.  Reeder,  the  work  of  erecting 

a  new  church  building  was  begun,  and 
in  the  spring  of  1885,  under  the  pas- 
torate of  the  Rev.  J.  R.  Rushbridge, 
the  church  was  dedicated. 

The  society  prospered  and  grew 
so  rapidly  that  in  ten  short  years  a 
larger  and  more  commodious  building 
was  needed,  and  in  the  year  1895  the 
Rev.  A.  A.  Thomas,  one  of  the  suc- 
cessful church  builders  in  the  Con- 
ference, led  the  congregation  in  a  new 
church  enterprise,  and  in  1896  the 
present  beautiful  church  with  a  seat- 
ing capacity  of  nearly  1,200  was  dedi- 
cated. The  large  $3,000  pipe  organ 


REV.  EDWIN  L.  DAVIS,  PASTOR. 


in  the  church  was  donated  by  the  late  John  Edwards,  a  prominent 
layman  in  the  Conference. 

The  following  ministers  served  the  Church:  Jason  Young,  O.  E. 
Palmer,  J.  F.  Davies,  James  Long,  Jeremiah  McCane,  Rev.  Maltbie, 
J.  C.  Miller,  R.  M.  Culvier,  W.  E.  Seuman,  Rev.  Reeder,  J.  R. 


LEIPSIC  CHURCH. 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        223 


Rushbridge,  George  Mathews,  A.  A.  Thomas,  George  B.  Wiltsie, 
Daniel  Carter,  W.  J.  Hagerman,  Jacob  Baumgardner,  and  Edwin  L. 
Davis,  the  present  pastor. 

Leipsic  Church  has  been  represented  in  the  General  Conference 
three  different  times:  once  by  John  Edwards,  and  twice  by  Mrs. 
Florence  D.  Richards.  The  Church  is  known  for  its  benevolent 
spirit  and  its  large  missionary  and  educational  contributions. 

McCLURE. 

The  McClure  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  organized  in 
1884  by  the  Rev.  J.  R.  Colgan.  It  was  a  part  of  Grand  Rapids 
Circuit  until  1900,  when  the  McClure  Circuit  was  formed  with 
Bethel,  Grelton,  and  Sharon  as  the  _ 
outlying  appointments. 

The  society  at  McClure  held 
services  at  first  in  the  United  Breth- 
ren Church  and  until  1891,  when  a 
Methodist  church  was  built,  the  Rev. 
J.  C.  Sinclair  being  pastor. 

The  charter  members  were:  S. 
H.  Philpott,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James 
Wilcox,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Love, 
Mrs.  Henry  Owen,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Samuel  Starks,  Mrs.  Jennie  Anthony 
and  Ettie;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  R.  T. 
Bower,  and  John  and  Lucinda  REV.  A.  C.  RAINSBERGER,  PASTOR- 
Clark. 

The  following  brethren  served  McClure  as  a  part  of  Grand 
Rapids  Circuit:  J.  R.  Colgan,  Geo.  Mathews,  J.  T.  Pope,  J.  C. 
Sinclair,  E.  G.  Brumbaugh,  S.  J.  Colgan,  and  J.  A.  Lucy. 

Since  McClure  became  the  head  of  the  circuit,  A.  J.  Bussard, 
C.  H.  Parks,  E.  D.  Cooke,  W.  W.  Constein,  B.  F.  Gordon,  G.  M. 
McNeely,  and  A.  C.  Rainsberger  have  served  the  charge. 

McCOMB  CHURCH. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  organized  in  Pleasant- 
ville,  now  McComb,  in  1835,  by  the  Rev.  M.  Thrap.  Benjamin 
Todd  and  wife  and  John  S.  Kalb  and  wife  composed  the  mem- 
bership. 


224 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


Until  the  year  1850  services  were  held  in  log  cabins  and  log 
schoolhouses  by  traveling  missionaries.  In  the  year  1836  the  Rev. 
Geo.  Allgire,  a  local  preacher,  came  into  the  neighborhood  and 

served  the  society.  The  first 
Methodist  church,  a  frame 
building  costing  $600,  was 
built  in  Pleasantville  (or  Mc- 
Comb)  in  1850,  and  in  1858 
the  name  Pleasantville  was 
changed  to  McComb. 

In  1867  a  new  site  was 
purchased  and  on  it  a  brick 
building  was  erected  •  at  a 
cost  of  $5,000,  and  in  1900 
the  structure  was  remodeled 
at  a  cost  of  $6,000. 

A  new  church  was  erected 
on   the    site   of   the   old    one, 
built     of     brick     and     stone, 
67  x  91  feet,  costing  $21,000, 
and  dedicated  June  14,  1914. 
This  splendid  new  church 
was    made    possible    by    the 
untiring  labors  of  the  pastor. 
Rev.  W.  J.  Green,  who  is  in 
REV.  W.  J.  GREEN,  PASTOR.  his  twenty-fifth  year  of  serv- 

ice within  the  bounds  of  the  Findlay  District. 

The  ministers  serving  the  Church  from  1835  to  1860  were: 
M.  Thrap,  David  Bulle,  Harvey  Camp,  W.  S.  Lunt,  Wesley  J. 
Wells,  Samuel  Mower,  James  S.  DeLisle,  T.  H.  Wilson,  H.  S. 
Bradley,  Wm.  Deal,  P.  A.  Drown,  and  others  whose  names  are 
unknown;  and  from  1860:  John  Sterling,  Geo.  W.  Money,  Henry 
L.  Nickerson,  David  Gray,  I.  N.  Kalb,  John  S.  Kalb,  John  Farley, 
Joseph  Good,  J.  T.  Bower,  John  H.  Wilson,  Joshua  A.  Smith, 
Oscar  Palmer,  A.  C.  Barnes,  Richard  Biggs,  W.  J.  Hodges,  T.  J. 
Pope,  J.  M.  Longfellow,  G.  H.  Priddy,  I.  N.,  Smith,  L.  O.  Cook, 
Jesse  Carr,  John  W.  Hill,  Wm.  Dunlap,  Jefferson  Williams,  John 
Parlette,  C.  C.  Kennedy,  W.  H.  Scoles,  H.  J.  Keister,  B.  F.  Read- 
ing, C.  G.  Smith,  E.  L.  Davis,  J.  W.  Gibson,  Daniel  Carter,  and 
W.  J.  Green. 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.       225 

The  presiding  elders  and  district  superintendents  have  been 
John  Graham,  H.  S.  Bradley,  L.  C.  Webster,  W.  W.  Winter,  Alex- 
ander Harmount,  I.  R.  Henderson,  A.  C.  Barnes,  L.  A.  Belt,  J.  L. 
Albritton,  W.  W.  Lance,  E.  D.  Whitlock,  and  J.  H.  Fitzwater. 


McCoMB  CHURCH. 

Three  members  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference  have  come  from 
the  McComb  Church:  J.  S.  Kalb,  I.  N.  Kalb,  and  M.  C.  Wisely. 
McComb,  until  J.  W.  Gibson  became  pastor,  was  the  head  of  a  two- 
point  circuit,  Dukes  Chapel  being  the  outlying  appointment. 

15 


226 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


MARYSVILLE  CHURCH. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  organized  in  Marysville 
in  1827,  and  was  a  part  of  London  Circuit,  Ohio  Conference,  with 
the  Rev.  Samuel  P.  Shaw  and  the  Rev.  John  C.  Havens  as  senior 
and  junior  preachers. 

The  charter  members  were:  George  Minturn  and  wife;  Newton 
Hicks  and  wife;  George  Snodgrass  and  Miss  Hannah  Fox,  a  sister 
of  Mrs.  Minturn — all  who  could  be  found  to  form  a  Church  organi- 
zation; and  as  the  preachers  required  seven  members  in  order  to 
organize,  Silas  G.  Strong,  a  Presbyterian,  loaned  his  name  to  make 
up  the  number.  There  was  no  Presbyterian  or  other  Church  in  the 
place  at  that  time. 

Afterward  Mr.  Strong  withdrew  his  name  from  the  Church  and 
assisted  in  the  organization  of  a  Presbyterian  Church.  The  society 

at  first  held  religious  services  at  the 
home  of  George  Minturn,  who  was  ap- 
pointed class  leader. 

In  1829  Silas  G.  Strong  conveyed 
lot  number  112,  on  the  northwest  cor- 
ner of  what  is  now  known  as  Fourth 
and  Walnut  Streets',  to  Adam  Wolford, 
Hezekiah  Bendick,  Newton  Hicks, 
Wm.  Worley,  Samuel  Badley,  Andrew 
Amrine,  and  William  Gregg,  trustees 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
for  the  consideration  of  eight  dollars. 
In  1837  the  first  church  building 
of  this  society  was  erected  on  the  lot 
at  the  cost  of  $590.  This  building 

continued  to  be  the  place  of  worship  until  the  year  1854,  at  which 
time  a  new  church  edifice  was  erected  on  the  southeast  corner  of 
Fifth  and  Walnut  Streets,  and  this  church  continued  to  be  the  place 
of  religious  services  until  the  erection  of  the  present  edifice,  which 
was  begun  in  1892.  On  the  completion  of  the  auditorium  in  Decem- 
ber, 1896,  it  was  dedicated  by  the  Rev.  Levi  Gilbert,  D.  D.,  and 
on  the  completion  of  the  entire  church  in  1900  it  was  dedicated 
by  the  Rev.  David  H.  Moore,  D.  D.,  editor  of  the  Western  Christian 
Advocate,  now  a  bishop  of  the  Church. 


REV.  JAMES  F.  OLIVE,  PASTOR. 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        227 

Among  the  notable  ministers  who  have  served  the  Church  are 
James  Gilruth,  S.  M.  Merrill  (afterward  one  of  the  eminent  bishops 
of  the  Church),  L.  C.  Webster,  Henry  E.  Pilcher,  Leonard  B. 
Gurley,  N.  B.  C.  Love,  Alexander  Harmount,  Daniel  D.  Mather, 


FIRST  CHURCH,  MARYSVILLE,  OHIO. 


Oliver  Kennedy,  Parker  P.  Pope,  and  Wesley  G.  Waters — three  of 
whom  are  living:  Love,  Webster,  and  Waters. 

The  present  membership  of  the  Church  is  about  six  hundred 
and  seventy-five,  with  five  hundred  enrolled  in  the  Sunday  school. 
The  present  pastor  is  the  Rev.  James  F.  Olive.  [This  sketch  was 
furnished  by  Judge  John  M.  Broderick.— EDITOR.] 


228  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

MARION   METHODISM— EPWORTH  CHURCH,  MARION. 

Methodism  was  first  organized  in  Marion  in  the  year  1826  by 
Rev.  James  Gilruth,  with  a  class  of  twelve  members.  It  had  no 
meeting  place  except  in  the  homes  of  the  devoted  few  until  1834. 
when  the  first  Methodist  meeting  house  was  completed.  This  was 
a  one-story  structure,  21x36,  and  was  near  the  entrance  to  the 
old  cemetery.  This  served  as  a  place  of  worship  for  about  ten 
years.  In  1842  Marion  was  made  a  station,  with  Rev.  Henry 
Pilcher  as  the  first  station  preacher.  Owing  to  the  rapid  increase 
in  membership  this  building  was  inadequate  for  the  accommodation 
of  the  people. 

In  1845  a  larger  and  more  suitable  two-story  stone  building 
was  erected  on  the  northwest  corner  of  North  and  East  Streets, 
known  as  the  Centenary  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Marion. 
The  Annual  Conference  met  in  this  church  in  1845. 

The  construction  of  the  Bellefontaine  and  Indianapolis  Railroad 
rendered  this  building  unsuitable  as  a  place  of  worship.  During 
the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Joseph  Kennedy  in  1854  there  was  erected 
a  large  two-story  brick  building  on  the  corner  of  Center  and  State 
Streets.  Here  for  thirty-five  years  Methodism  grew  and  flourished. 

Owing  to  the  growth  of  the  city  and  building  surroundings,  the 
Church  in  1889  decided  to  sell  the  State  Street  site  and  build  in 
a  more  suitable  locality.  Under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  R.  W. 
Wallace  the  corner-stone  of  the  present  Epworth  Church  was  laid 
at  the  southwest  corner  of  Center  and  Vine  Streets.  The  church 
was  completed  at  a  cost  of  $50,000.  It  was  dedicated  December 
27,  1891,  by  Bishop  I.  W.  Joyce.  At  that  time  the  Church  had  a 
membership  of  about  six  hundred.  It  now  has  a  membership  of 
more  than  eighteen  hundred.  It  has  a  Sunday  school  with  an 
enrollment  of  more  than  fifteen  hundred.  It  has  helped  to  establish 
Wesley  and  Asbury  Churches,  both  now  doing  efficient  work  in 
building  up  the  interests  of  Methodism  and  strengthening  the  King- 
dom of  God  in  the  growing  city  of  Marion.  Throughout  all  her 
history  Epworth  Church  has  been  true  to  the  spirit  and  genius  of 
Methodism. 

The  pastors  who  have  served  this  Church  are  as  follows:  A. 
Lorain,  John  C.  Havens,  Erastus  Felton,  Zephariah  Bell,  Harvey 
Camp,  Philip  Nation,  John  W.  White,  Uriah  Heath,  John  Alexander, 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        22p 

John  Blanpead,  John  G.  Bruce,  Jeremiah  Hill,  Isaac  M.  Williams, 
Peter  Sharp,  Wm.  C.  Pierce,  H.  E.  Pilcher,  George  W.  Howe, 
Henry  Whiteman,  L.  B.  Gurley,  Horatio  S.  Bradley,  John  Graham, 
Joseph  F.  Kennedy,  James  A.  Kellam,  Thomas  H.  Wilson,  Jacob 
F.  Burkholder,  Isaac  Newton,  Thos.  H.  Parker,  Wm.  D.  Goodman, 
George  Mather,  Jacob  M.  Holmes,  William  Deal,  L.  A.  Belt, 
William  Jones,  I.  R.  Henderson,  L.  C.  Webster,  T.  L.  Wiltsee, 
Gershom  Lease,  Adam  C.  Barnes,  Richard  Wallace,  John  L. 
Hillman  and  Daniel  Stecker  (assistant),  Stewart  C.  Wright,  Albert 
E.  Smith,  David  H.  Bailey,  C.  R.  Havighurst,  and  G.  A.  Scott,  the 
present  pastor. 

WESLEY  CHURCH,  MARION. 

Wesley  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Marion  was  the  out- 
growth of  a  revival  held  in  West  Marion  in  1897  by  the  Rev.  E.  S. 
Dunham.  The  charter  members  were:  Daniel  Nucapher,  L.  V. 
Nucapher  and  wife,  T.  F.  Spragg  and  wife,  O.  A.  Parr  and  wife, 
Mrs.  O.  J.  Elliott,  Mrs.  Schroth,  James  Osborn  and  wife,  Robt. 
Branson,  Charles  Windfield  and  wife  and  Edith  and  Walter  (their 
daughter  and  son).  The  church  building  was  dedicated  in  1901, 
the  Rev.  J.  W.  Donnan,  pastor. 

H.  C.  Burger,  Mrs.  Koil,  E.  H.  Snow,  C.  E.  Rowley,  H.  V. 
McCleary,  and  D.  N.  Kelly  have  been  the  other  pastors. 

MAUMEE  CHURCH. 

Methodism  was  introduced  into  Maumee  (formerly  called 
Maumee  City,  later  South  Toledo)  at  a  very  early  date. 

The  first  definite  record  is  found  in  a  statement  made  in  a  letter 
from  the  Rev.  Elijah  H.  Pilcher,  dated  September  9,  1875,  at 
Detroit,  Mich.,  in  which  he  states  that  he  was  appointed  on  the 
Monroe  Circuit  in  1832,  with  Elnathan  C.  Gavitt  as  his  associate. 
There  had  been  preaching  at  intervals  by  Methodist  itinerants  for 
some  years  prior  to  his  coming  to  Maumee,  but  he  organized  the 
Maumee  society  January  21,  1833,  in  the  home  of  Mr.  James 
Jackson,  who  had  been  appointed  Indian  Agent  by  General  Jackson. 

The  members  of  the  first  class  were:  Mr.  Gibbs  (of  Perrys- 
burg),  Mary  Sophia  Hunt,  Hannah  Sophia  Hedges,  James  Jack- 
son, and  Anna  Maria  Jackson. 


230 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


Later,  on  the  12th  of  May,  1833,  he  received  the  following 
persons  by  letter:  Samuel  Chadwick,  Catherine  Chadwick,  Lewis 
Sifford,  James  Brooks,  James  Lafferty;  and  on  trial:  Rebecca 
Knight,  Chloe  Gibbs,  Lucy  Whittum,  Sarah  Dolson,  Louisa  Nutt, 
Sally  Gunn,  Lucy  Blinn,  Catherine  Spafford,  Julia  Charter,  Ipsa 
Dolson,  John  Runnels,  and  Charles  P.  Hunt. 


MAUMEE  CHURCH. 

(Built  in  1837.) 

The  church  edifice  was  erected  in  1837,  during  the  pastorate  of 
the  Rev.  Orin  Mitchell.  Prior  to  this  time  the  services  were  held 
in  the  schoolhouse. 

George  W.  Reynolds,  who  will  be  recalled  by  many  citizens  of 
Toledo,  moved  to  Maumee  in  1841,  and  at  once  became  an  active 
member  of  the  Church  and  soon  was  appointed  recording  steward. 
During  the  year  of  his  membership  in  the  Church  he  bore  the 
greater  part  of  its  financial  burdens,  often  paying  hundreds  of 
dollars  a  year  to  the  various  causes  of  the  Church. 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        231 

Dr.  Pilcher  is  the  authority  for  the  following  list  of  presiding 
elders  and  preachers  whose  labors  covered  the  territory  about 
Maumee  City  and  a  good  part  of  the  Maumee  Valley  in  the  early 
days,  down  to  1840.  This  list  is  of  such  historic  importance  that 
we  give  it  in  full,  with  the  dates: 

1820 — Ohio  Conference.  Lebanon  District,  James  B.  Finley,  pre- 
siding elder;  Detroit  Circuit,  John  P.  Kent. 

1821 — Lebanon  District,  John  Strange,  presiding  elder;  Platt  B. 
Morey  preacher  on  Detroit  Circuit,  but  died,  and  John  P. 
Kent  filled  out  the  term. 

1822 — Lebanon  District,  James  B.  Finley,  presiding  elder;  Detroit 
Circuit,  Alfred  Brunson  and  Samuel  Baker. 

1823 — Miami  District,  John  Strange,  presiding  elder;  Detroit  Cir- 
cuit, Elias  Patte  and  Billings  O.  Plympton. 

1824 — Sandusky  District,  James  B.  Finley,  presiding  elder;  Detroit 
Circuit,  Elias  Patte  and  Isaac  C.  Hunter. 

1825 — Detroit  District,  William  Simmons,  presiding  elder;  Detroit 
Circuit,  John  A.  Baughman  and  Solomon  Manier. 

1826 — Detroit  District,  Zerah  H.  Coston,  presiding  elder;  Monroe 
Circuit,  John  A.  Baughman. 

1827 — District  and  presiding  elder  the  same;  Monroe  Circuit; 
George  W.  Walker  and  James  Armstrong. 

1828 — District  and  presiding  elder  the  same;  Monroe  Circuit, 
George  W.  Walker. 

1829 — Detroit  District,  Curtis  Goddard,  presiding  elder;  (name  of 
district  and  elder  same  for  three  years)  ;  Monroe  Circuit, 
Jacob  Hill. 

1830-31 — James  B.  Finley. 

1832 — Detroit  District,  James  Gilruth,  presiding  elder;  Monroe 
Circuit,  Elijah  H.  Pilcher,  Elnathan  C.  Gavitt. 

1833 — Detroit  District,  James  Gilruth,  presiding  elder;  Monroe 
Circuit,  E.  H.  Pilcher  and  William  Sprague. 

1834 — Maumee  District,  Leonard  B.  Gurley,  presiding  elder;  Mon- 
roe Circuit,  William  Sprague  and  S.  F.  Southard. 

1835 — District  and  presiding  elder  same.  Perrysburg  Circuit, 
Wm.  Sprague. 

1836 — Michigan  Conference  organized.  Maumee  District,  John 
Janes,  presiding  elder;  Maumee  and  Perrysburg  Circuit, 
Cyrus  Brooks. 


232  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

1837 — District  and  elder  the  same;  Maumee  and  Perrysburg  Cir- 
cuit, Orin  Mitchell  and  David  Burns. 

1838 — District  and  elder  the  same;  Maumee  and  Perrysburg  Cir- 
cuit, James  A.  Kellam. 

1839 — District  and  elder  the  same;  Maumee  Station,  Oliver  Bur- 
gess. 

18-tO — North  Ohio  Conference  organized.  Maumee  District,  Wes- 
ley Brock,  presiding  elder;  Maumee  Station,  Jonathan  E. 
Chaplin. 

1842 — From  this  time  on  the  pastors  were  as  follows:  Ebenezer 
R.  Hill,  Horatio  S.  Bradley,  Wesley  J.  Wells,  George  W. 
Howe,  Edward  R.  Jewett,  William  S.  Lunt,  Thomas  J.  Pope, 
Uri  Richards,  Thomas  J.  Pope,  Ralph  Wilcox,  Edmund  B. 
Morrison,  William  S.  Lunt,  Ambrose  Hollington,  Wesley  G. 
Waters,  Lewis  J.  Dales,  Jacob  F.  Burkholder,  Benjamin 
Herbert,  Samuel  Lynch,  Russel  B.  Pope,  Parker  P.  Pope, 
Thomas  N.  Barkdull,  H.  J.  Bigley,  Franklin  Marriott,  W. 
W.  Winter,  Theo.  W.  Brake,  Abram  Hopkins,  Frederick 
Miller,  William  V.  Marsh,  M.  A.  Casey,  C.  B.  Cannon,  B.  N. 
Boardman,  O.  D.  Wagner,  J.  W.  Donnan,  W.  H.  Smith,  A. 
Hopkins,  J.  C.  Crider,  R.  E.  Carter,  C.  W.  Collinge,  R.  W. 
Wallace,  C.  S.  Barron,  Frank  Hook,  E.  L.  Motter,  J.  W. 
Reynolds,  E.  D.  Smith,  and  E.  D.  Cooke. 

New  life  is  coming  to  this  old,  historic  Church.  Within  the  last 
year  the  membership  has  been  more  than  doubled  and  a  real  live 
evangelistic  spirit  pervades  the  regular  services.  Rossford  Church, 
on  the  east  side  of  the  river  at  the  city  limits  of  Toledo,  is  con- 
nected with  Maumee,  and  is  equally  progressive  and  prosperous 
under  the  present  pastorate  of  Rev.  E.  D.  Cooke,  who  is  a  grandson 
of  the  Rev.  James  B.  Finley. 

ROSSFORD  CHURCH. 

During  the  year  1899  Mr.  Edward  Ford  built  the  large  plate 
glass  works  of  the  Edward  Ford  Plate  Glass  Co.,  on  the  southeast 
bank  of  the  beautiful  Maumee  River,  in  Ross  Township  of  Wood 
County,  just  outside  the  city  limits  of  Toledo,  and  named  the 
village  Rossford.  This  great  enterprise  required  hundreds  of  men 
in  its  operation.  Mr.  Ford  built  about  fifty  cottages  and  a  public 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        233 

school  building  of  four  schoolrooms.  Other  business  and  residence 
buildings  were  built  by  individuals  who  foresaw  in  the  near  future 
the  industrial  and  business  importance  of  this  place. 

Leaders  in  Church  extension  were  also  alive  to  the  opportunities 
in  prospect  at  this  new  suburb  of  Toledo.  The  Maumee  Valley 
Electric  Railway  has  been  in  successful  operation  since  August, 
1894. 

October  28,  1894,  Dr.  J.  M.  Avann,  presiding  elder  of  Toledo 
District,  called  on  the  people  of  the  settlement  and  made  appoint- 
ments for  a  Sunday  school  and  preaching  service  to  be  held  the 
next  day,  beginning  at  10  A.  M.  Dr.  Avann  on  Sunday,  October 
28th,  conducted  the  first  session  of  the  Sunday  school  and  preach- 
ing service  held  in  Rossford. 

Dr.  Avann  was  only  a  little  in  advance,  for  at  2  P.  M.  of  the 
same  day  the  wide-awake  Rev.  McLain  and  five  teachers  came  over 
from  the  Central  Christian  Church  in  Toledo  and  conducted  a 
Sunday  school  service.  The  Christian  Missionary  Society  continued 
their  work  for  two  years  and  built  a  handsome  little  church,  which 
was  bought  in  1902  by  the  Methodist  society,  Captain  T.  B.  Ford, 
of  Ford  City,  Pa.,  contributing  $1,000.  Mr.  Edward  Ford  also 
rendered  valuable  aid  at  this  time.  The  enterprising  members  of 
the  Episcopal  Church,  the  United  Brethren,  and  the  English 
Lutheran  also  made  efforts  at  organization.  Finally  the  field  was 
left  in  charge  of  the  Methodists,  'members  of  other  denominations 
joining  them  in  earnest  Christian  endeavor  in  the  work  of  the 
Kingdom. 

Rev.  John  R.  Colgan  was  appointed  preacher  in  charge,  who, 
with  his  wife  and  daughter  Lewella,  became  teachers  in  the  Sabbath 
school.  B.  D.  Kauffman  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday  school  and  served  faithfully  six  months,  when  E.  M. 
Warner  took  charge,  and  his  daughter,  Miss  Jennie  Warner,  a 
member  of  Mrs.  Dr.  McVeety's  class  of  St.  Paul's  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  Toledo,  became  chorister,  teacher,  and  leader  among 
the  young  people  in  Sunday  school  and  Church  work. 

The  original  members  of  the  Church  were:  Esther  Pepper, 
Precilla  Pepper,  Precilla  Cooper,  Thomas  Pierpoint,  Wm.  Simms 
and  wife,  Elida  King,  Laura  C.  Venable,  Pheba  Gray,  Edna  John- 
son, Laura  J.  Johnson,  Louise  Zurney,  Ida  Zurney,  Charles  Kier, 
Sarah  Kier,  Adele  Westfall,  Edward  H.  Martin  and  wife,  George 


234 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


Smithers  and  wife,  Frank  Martin,  E.  M.  Warner  and  wife,  Mar- 
garet Warner. 

The  following  pastors  have  served  this  Church:  John  R.  Col- 
gan,  C.  S.  Barron,  R.  C.  Woodruff,  Jesse  Carr,  B.  L.  Rowand, 
N.  S.  Brackney,  C.  W.  Taneyhill,  J.  W.  Reynolds,  E.  D.  Smith, 
and  E.  D\  Cooke,  the  present  (1914)  faithful  and  efficient  pastpr. 

[Mr.  E.  M.  Warner,  who  furnished  the  history  of  Rossford  Church,  is  a  son  of 
the  pioneer  preacher,  Rev.  Henry  Warner. — EDITOR.] 

MENDON  CHARGE. 

The  Mendon  Charge  now  consists  of  Mendon,  Bethel,  and 
Wesley.  Methodism  was  planted  in  this  vicinity  in  an  early  day, 

sometime    between     1830    and 
1835. 

The  following  are  some  of 
the  names  of  the  first  Meth- 
odist preachers  in  this  com- 
munity: Pryor,  Raper,  Finley, 
Alexander,  Gurley,  Conway, 
Hudson,  Armstrong,  Beatty, 
Shone,  Brock,  Lease,  Wykes, 
Wilcox,  Boggs,  Murlin,  Drown, 
Mounts,  Carr,  demons,  Her- 
bert, Crooks,  Lemasters,  Wood- 
ruff, Markwith,  Strong,  and 
others. 

A  loyal,  earnest  Methodist 
constituency  has  been  reared 
here  as  a  result  of  the  labors 
of  these  faithful  and  efficient 
ministers. 

The  Rev.  J.  B.  Gottschall,  the  present  pastor,  is  serving  in  his 
seventh  year  on  this  charge. 

METAMORA. 

Some  time  in  the  year  1854  a  Methodist  society  was  organized 
here  and  began  to  worship  in  a  house  one  mile  east  of  Metamora. 

The  circuit  was  composed  of  Sylvania,  Richfield,  Center,  Meta- 
mora, Tiney,  and  the  Red  Schoolhouse,  near  Lyons;  John  R. 
Colgan  and  Henry  Boyers  served  the  charge,  one  living  at  Sylvania 


REV.  JOHN  B.  GOTTSCHALL,  PASTOR. 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        235 

and  the  other  at  Swanton.  Reuben  Treadway  and  wife,  Simon 
Ford  and  wife,  Hiram  Parker  and  wife,  Mrs.  Winchell,  Mr.  Kellogg 
and  wife  composed  the  original  membership. 

The  first  church  building  was  erected  in  1866.  The  present 
church  was  built  at  a  cost  of  $4,000  in  1895. 

There  is  a  very  comfortable  parsonage.  The  circuit  consists 
of  Metamora,  Tiney,  and  Santee.  Rev.  Gilbert  A.  Edmunds  is  the 
present  (1914)  pastor. 

MONTPELIER  CHURCH. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Montpelier  was  organized 
in  1839  in  the  log  cabin  of  Wm.  Hoskinson,  two  miles  east  of  the 
town,  when  Revs.  James  Stanley  and  J.  H.  Frees  were  pastors. 

The  charter  members  were :  Wm.  Hoskinson  and  wife  and  their 
daughter  Parmelia,  Henry  Ferguson  and  wife  and  their  daughters 
Mary  and  Jane.  In  1850  the  schoolhouse  in  Montpelier  became 
the  preaching  place. 

The  first  church,  costing  $2,000,  was  built  during  the  Rev.  Wm. 
Coulter's  pastorate  in  1870-71.  The  present  edifice,  called  St. 
Paul,  was  built  under  the  supervision  of  the  Rev.  M.  C.  Howey 
and  dedicated  in  1892. 

When  the  Rev.  E.  E.  McCammon  was  pastor  the  commodious 
parsonage  was  built,  and  improvements  in  the  way  of  a  bath-room 
were  made  under  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  L.  H.  Gressley. 

Montpelier  was  at  first  an  appointment  on  the  Bryan  Circuit, 
which  included  all  of  Williams  and  part  of  Defiance  Counties. 
Later  Pioneer  became  the  head  of  the  circuit.  In  1879  Montpelier 
became  a  station,  with  Eagle  Creek  attached. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  ministers  of  the  charge,  many 
of  them  serving  two  at  a  time:  James  Stanley,  J.  H.  Frees,  Zara 
Norton,  Drice  Hatch,  S.  H.  Alderman,  John  L.  Ferris,  Chester 
Coleman,  W.  W.  Winter,  Samuel  Morrison,  Samuel  Boggs,  F.  W. 
Wilson,  Alanson  Foster,  W.  K.  Barnes,  John  Burgess,  Samuel  Fair- 
child,  Henry  Chapman,  A.  H.  Walters,  Benj.  Herbert,  S.  B.  Cutler, 
David  Ocker,  John  A.  Shannon,  Thomas  Parker,  Jason  Wilcox, 
Jacob  Albright,  Solomon  Lindsey,  J.  W.  Thompson,  Henry  Warner, 
Henry  L.  Nickerson,  J.  H.  Beardsley,  Wm.  Thatcher,  J.  W.  Miller, 
John  Poucher,  Henry  Boyers,  Jason  Wilcox,  G.  W.  Money,  W.  H. 
Taylor,  John  Boyer,  Jabez  Shaffer,  H.  Van  Geeny,  Chas.  Hoag, 


236 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


A.  C.  Barnes,  Henry  Plant,  F.  P.  Olds,  E.  H.  Gammon,  Win. 
Coulter,  B.  B.  Powell,  E.  S.  Dunham,  J.  W.  Hill,  Jonathan  Zook, 
M.  D.  Scott,  C.  S.  Barron,  H.  J.  Keister,  Mortimer  Gascoigne, 
Jefferson  Williams,  E.  E.  McCammon,  R.  D.  Hollington,  J.  H. 
Priddy,  Oramel  Shreeves,  P.  B.  Cuppett,  L.  H.  Gressley,  and 
J.  C.  Shaw. 

St.  Paul  Church  is  a  flourishing  Methodist  society  in  a  rapidly 
growing  town  with  a  population  of  over  3,000. 

MT.  BLANCHARD  CHARGE. 

Mt.   Blanchard   Charge  is   composed  of  two   preaching  places, 
Mt.  Blanchard  and  Houktown,  a  village  four  miles  northwest. 

The  society  of  Mt.  Blanchard  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  Hancock 

County,   and   the   first   to   be   organized   in    Blanchard    Township. 

The  class  was  organized  in  a  log  cabin,  the  home  of  Wm.  J. 

Greer,  in  1828  by  Revs.  Elnathan  C.  Gavitt  and  Thomas  Thompson, 

at  that  time  preaching  to  the 
Indians  at  Upper  Sandusky, 
Ohio.  The  log  cabin  in  which 
the  class  was  formed  is  the 
possession  of  Mr.  M.  C. 
Greer,  the  grandson  of  Wm. 
J.  Greer,  and  is  occupied  by 
his  great-grandson,  Harry  J. 
Greer.  Here  and  at  the  home 
of  a  Mr.  Lake  religious  serv- 
ices were  held  until  the  erec- 
tion of  a  log  schoolhouse  in 
the  fall  of  1833,  which  was 
the  meeting  place  of  the 
society  until  1838,  when  a 
frame  church  was  built,  the 
first  in  the  village,  begun 
under  the  pastorate  of  the 
Rev.  Jason  Wilcox  and  com- 

REV.  LAVERDE  B.  SMITH,  PASTOR.  Pleted  durinS  the  P"torate  of 

the  Rev.  James  DeLisle. 

Three  buildings  have  been  occupied  by  the  society,  all  of  which 
are  still  standing.     The  present  edifice  was  begun  in  1904,  during 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        237 

the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  E.  T.  Dailey,  and  completed  during  the 
pastorate  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Given  the  following  year.  It  is  a 
beautiful  brick  structure  with  an  auditorium  of  five  hundred  sittings, 
Sunday  school  and  class  rooms,  basement  with  kitchen,  assembly 
and  dining  rooms,  furnace  and  coal  rooms,  and  is  provided  through- 
out with  electric  lights. 

Wm.  Greer  and  wife,  Robert  Elder  and  wife,  Mrs.  John  Elder, 
Mrs.  Ephraim  Elder,  Mrs.  Mordecai  Hammond,  Mrs.  Godfrey 
Wolford,  George  Swinhart  and  wife  were  the  organizers  and 
charter  members  of  the  society.  The  Church  has  a  membership  of 
about  one  hundred.  Its  oldest  member,  the  Rev.  John  Smith,  a 
local  preacher  for  most  of  his  life  and  for  several  years  in  early 
days  a  supply  in  the  Conference,  passed  to  his  reward  about  the 
first  of  October,  1911.  His  one  hundredth  birthday  was  celebrated 
in  a  grove  by  the  village  in  the  spring  previous  to  his  death,  a 
vast  concourse  of  people  from  the  town  and  surrounding  country 
being  present  to  honor  this  aged  saint  and  extend  to  him  their  hearty 
congratulations.  The  Rev.  Adam  C.  Barnes,  at  one  time  Brother 
Smith's  colleague  on  the  charge,  delivered  the  principal  address, 
in  which  were  voiced  for  himself  and  the  thousands  assembled  the 
felicitations  of  the  hour. 

The  following  are  some  of  the  ministers  who  served  the  Mt. 
Blanchard  Charge:  A.  C.  Barnes,  John  Smith,  J.  W.  Hill,  E.  A. 
Harper,  James  W.  Shultz,  Jesse  Carr,  G.  H.  Priddy,  C.  B.  Rowley, 
Joshua  M.  Longfellow,  E.  T.  Dailey,  W.  F.  Esberger,  E.  G. 
Brumbaugh,  E.  E.  McLaughlin,  Samuel  Given,  J.  S.  Snodgrass, 
G.  H.  Beaschler,  J.  W.  Miller,  and  Laverde  B.  Smith. 

For  a  number  of  years  Houktown  has  been  the  only  preaching 
place  connected  with  Mt.  Blanchard.  Their  present  church  building 
was  erected  in  1875,  a  comfortable  edifice  in  excellent  preserva- 
tion— a  testimony  to  the  loyalty  and  devotion  of  the  members.  A 
few  of  the  older  families  prominently  connected  with  the  organiza- 
tion and  growth  of  the  Church:  the  Lees,  Van  Sants,  Longbrakes, 
Stevensons,  Houks,  and  Dotys. 

MT.  VICTORY  CHURCH. 

The  early  history  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Mt. 

Victory,  Ohio,  was  written  by  Mr.  W.  I.  Witcraft  in  the  year  1888. 

The  first  Methodist  Episcopal  organization  in  this  vicinity  was 


238  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

in  the  year  1835,  and  consisted  of  nine  members.  The  places  of 
holding  service  were  at  the  residences  of  Jack  Marmon,  James 
Andrews,  and  John  Richardson.  The  first  pastor  was  Enos  Holmes, 
a  local  preacher.  The  first  traveling  preacher  was  Daniel  D. 
Davidson. 

This  appointment  then  belonged  to  Bellefontaine  Circuit,  which 
consisted  of  forty-four  appointments.  The  first  organization  con- 
tinued but  six  months,  when  it  went  down  for  want  of  support. 
In  the  year  1853  a  second  organization  was  formed  by  the  Rev. 
John  K.  Ford,  a  supernumerary  preacher  of  Huntersville,  Ohio, 
with  Benjamin  Glassco  and  wife,  W.  I.  Witcraft  and  wife,  Lewis 
Andrews  and  wife,  James  Smith  and  wife,  James  Dpbey  and  family, 
and  Mrs.  P.  R.  Asbury  as  members.  Benjamin  Glassco  was  the 
first  class  leader.  The  first  meetings  were  held  in  the  "Rough  and 
Ready"  schoolhouse,  situated  on  the  land  of  James  Smith,  about 
one  mile  west  of  Mt.  Victory. 

The  place  of  meeting  was  soon  changed  to  the  new  schoolhouse 
east  of  the  town,  on  the  land  owned  by  W.  H.  Boyd,  and  east  of 

his  house  on  the  Larue  road.  It  has 
since  been  moved  north  across  the  road. 
In  the  fall  of  1855  the  place  of 
holding  services  was  again  changed  to 
the  United  Brethren  Church,  where  it 
was  continued  until  the  spring  of  1860, 
when  the  Methodists  purchased  the 
property  for  themselves.  The  society 
was  small  and  weak  for  three  or  four 
years,  but  it  gradually  grew,  and  in 
the  year  1857,  under  the  ministry  of 
A.  J.  Frisbie,  a  gracious  revival  was 

held,   and   in   a   short   time   the   Meth- 
REV.  C.  B.  CRAMER,  PASTOR.         ,.   .  ,  ,  ,        ., 

odists  were  able  to  set  up  for  them- 
selves, since  which  time  they  have  been  the  leading  Church  of  the 
place. 

The  first  church  propertj^  owned  by  the  Methodists  was  pur- 
chased of  I.  W.  Pennock  in  the  year  1860  for  the  sum  of  $140. 
It  was  a  church  building  which  had  been  commenced  by  the  Bap- 
tists but  was  not  finished,  and  stood  on  the  present  church  lot. 
Dr.  J.  S.  Blair  and  Coleman  Asbury  were  the  most  active  persons 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        239 

in  securing  this  property.     It  was  completed  and  occupied  by  our 
people  in  1861. 

In  the  spring  of  1879  the  work  of  erecting  the  present  brick 
house  was  begun  under  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  William  Dunlap, 
W.  I.  Witcraft,  Elias  Converse,  William  Bloomer,  S.  G.  Humphreys, 
and  E.  A.  Chapin  being  the  trustees.  It  was  completed  in  the 


MT.  VICTORY  CHURCH. 

fall  and  dedicated  on  November  30th  by  Dr.  C.  H.  Payne,  of 
Delaware,  Ohio.  The  building  cost  $3,300.  The  old  house  was 
sold  to  G.  M.  McDonald  for  $50. 

At  the  time  of  the  organization  of  the  present  society  in  1853, 
and  until  1856,  this  work  was  known  as  Scioto  Mission,  Delaware 
District,  North  Ohio  Conference.  From  1856  to  1859  it  was  known 
as  Mt.  Victory  Circuit,  Sidney  District,  Delaware  Conference. 
From  1859  to  1860  it  was  known  as  the  Mt.  Victory  Circuit,  Kenton 
District,  Delaware  Conference.  From  1860  to  1868  as  Mt.  Victory 
Circuit,  Kenton  District,  Central  Ohio  Conference.  From  1868 
to  the  present  time  as  Mt.  Victory  Circuit,  Delaware  District, 
Central  Ohio  Conference. 


240  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

In  1853  Rev.  John  K.  Ford  was  pastor  for  one  year;  1854, 
Lemuel  Herbert  and  S.  L.  Roberts,  one  year;  1855,  William  H. 
Taylor  and  John  T.  Bowers.  During  the  above  pastorates  Joseph 
Ayers  was  presiding  elder. 

1856,  Djavid  Bulle,  one  year;  1857-58,  A.  J.  Frisbie,  two  years. 
During  these  two  pastorates  J.  S.  Kalb  was  presiding  elder. 

1862-63,  Samuel  M.  Boggs,  two  years;  1864-66,  H.  J.  Bigley, 
three  years.  E.  C.  Gavitt,  presiding  elder. 

1867,  Hiram  M.  Shaffer,  one  year;  1868,  A.  J.  Frisbie,  one  year. 
S.  H.  Alderman,  presiding  elder. 

1869,  Frank  B.  Olds,  one  year;  1870,  Caleb  Hill,  one  year. 
Alexander  Harmount,  presiding  elder. 

1871,  H.  Boyers  and  J.  W.  Morrison,  one  year;  1872,  D.  B. 
Rinehart  and  L.  O.  Cook,  one  year.  D.  D.  Mathers,  presiding  elder. 

1873-74,  D.  B.  Rinehart,  two  years;  1875-76,  Philip  Lemasters, 
two  years.  D.  Rutledge,  presiding  elder. 

1877-78,  William  Dunlap,  two  years;  1879-80,  J.  C.  Clemens, 
two  years.  Isaac  Newton,  presiding  elder. 

1881-83,  Benjamin  W.  Day,  three  years;  1884,  L.  O.  Cook,  one 
year.  L.  A.  Belt,  presiding  elder. 

1885-86,  Daniel  Carter,  two  years;  1887-88,  C.  F.  Gowdy,  two 
years.  D.  Rutledge,  presiding  elder. 

Among  the  more  prominent  workers  in  the  Church  were  Dr. 
J.  S.  Blair,  afterward  and  for  many  years  a  member  of  the  Central 
Ohio  Conference;  the  first  Sunday  school  superintendent  of  the 
Church,  and  a  class  leader  and  trustee  for  many  years.  Benjamin 
Glassco,  James  and  Margaret  Andrews,  W.  I.  Witcraft,  W.  H. 
Baldwin  (a  local  preacher),  Henry  Reames  (a  local  preacher), 
T.  V.  Mears,  Wm.  Ballinger,  Wm.  Smith,  James  W.  Boyd,  Thomas 
Hiatt,  John  W.  Baldwin,  Samuel  S.  Stanton,  Elias  Converse,  S.  W. 
Kerns,  F.  K.  Canon,  B.  D.  Owen,  Lemuel  Haines,  H.  Lynch,  E.  A. 
Chapin,  and  F.  V.  List.  The  society  has  sent  out  two  ministers, 
J.  S.  Blair  and  George  A.  Wood. 

The  first  Sunday  school  was  organized  in  1855  with  Dr.  J.  S. 
Blair  as  superintendent  and  Ananias  Jones  assistant. 

The  Rev.  John  Parlette  was  appointed  to  Mt.  Victory  in  1889, 
and  during  a  pastorate  of  three  years  received  into  the  Church  over 
two  hundred  persons. 

He  was  succeeded  in  regular  order  by  W.  H.  H.  Smith,  Wm.  S. 
Philpott,  A.  C.  Barnes,  .1.  F.  Newcomb  (during  whose  pastorate 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        241 


the  Church  was  greatly  strengthened  in  numbers  and  influence), 
W.  P.  Bender,  C.  M.  Baker,  J.  J.  Richards  (who  led  the  Church 
in  the  erection  of  the  present  beautiful  and  commodious  house  of 
worship  and  added  a  large  number  to  the  membership),  D.  Carl 
Yoder,  Albert  H.  Weaver  (under  whose  pastorate  the  charge  was 
made  a  station),  and  now  C.  B.  Cramer. 

The  Church  has  sent  out  one  young  man  into  the  foreign  mis- 
sion work,  Dr.  John  Korns,  son  of  S.  W.  Korns,  who  is  now  in 
Taian-fu,  Shantung  Province,  China,  as  a  medical  missionary.  He 
is  a  graduate  of  the  Mt.  Victory  high  school,  the  Ohio  Wesleyan 
University,  and  Rush  Medical  College,  Chicago. 

NAPOLEON  CHURCH. 

In  the  year  1835  Henry  County  was  organized  as  one  of  the 
counties  of  the  State  of  Ohio,  and  Napoleon  was  made  county  seat. 

In  the  fall  of  1835  Rev.  Austin  Coleman  came  to  Napoleon 
and  began  to  preach,  and  made  Napoleon  a  part  of  the  Defiance 
Mission.  He  preached  every  four  weeks  in  the  homes  of  the  people 
and  in  a  tavern  which  was  kept  by  Judge  Craig.  A  union  Sunday 
school  was  organized,  which  afforded  instruction  for  all  in  the  com- 
munity who  were  religiously  inclined. 

In  1854,  at  the  Annual  Conference  which  met  in  Tiffin,  Ohio, 
Napoleon  was  made  the  head  of  a  circuit,  and  the  Rev.  Ambrose 
Hollington  was  appointed  to  the 
charge.  Florida,  Hartman's,  and 
Texas  were  the  other  appointments. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  W.  B. 
Scannell  in  1855;  Rev.  S.  L.  Roberts 
in  1856;  Rev.  Ebenezer  Linsey  in 
1857  and  1858,  with  Rev.  L.  Tiede- 
man  as  junior  preacher;  Rev.  John 
Poucher  in  1859,  and  Rev.  G.  W. 
Miller  in  1860. 

Under  the  labors  of  Rev.  G.  W. 
Miller  the  first  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  was  built  in  Napoleon.  The 
Rev.  E.  C.  Gavitt  was  the  presiding 
elder,  and  it  was  he  who  dedicated 

the  church.  It  was  a  frame  church  and  was  dedicated  in  the  spring 
of  1860.  It  stood  on  the  corner  of  Washington  and  Webster  Streets. 

16 


REV.  CHAS.  BENNETT,  PASTOR. 


242  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


The  ministers  who  followed  Rev.  G.  W.  Miller  were:  Rev. 
Martin  Perkey  in  1861;  Rev.  A.  M:  Corey  in  1863  and  1864;  Rev. 
J.  R.  Colgan  and  Rev.  Charles  Zimmerman  in  1865;  Rev.  J.  R. 
Colgan  and  Rev.  Charles  Hoag  in  1866,  and  Rev.  T.  J.  Mather 
in  1867. 

In  1868  Rev.  N.  B.  C.  Love  was  appointed,  and  at  this  time 
Napoleon  Charge  became  a  "station,"  and  has  remained  such  ever 
since.  Dr.  Love  remained  the  pastor  of  the  Church  for  three  years. 

Following  the  Rev.  N.  B.  C.  Love,  Rev.  H.  A.  Brown  served 
two  years;  Rev.  H.  J.  Bigley,  three  years;  Rev.  John  Farley,  one 
year;  Rev.  W.  W.  Winters,  two  years;  Rev.  Charles  Farnsworth, 
one  year ;  Rev.  J.  Zook,  three  years ;  Rev.  J.  C.  demons,  three 
years;  Rev.  T.  H.  Campbell,  two  years;  Rev.  R.  H.  Balmer,  one 
year;  Rev.  I.  N.  Kalb,  two  years;  Rev.  J.  Williams,  two  years;  and 
the  Rev.  Jesse  Swank,  seven  years. 

May  15,  1898,  a  new  brick  church  was  dedicated  which  was 
located  on  the  same  lot  that  had  been  occupied  by  the  old  church. 
Bishop  C.  C.  McCabe  dedicated  the  church.  This  was  a  great 
achievement  for  Napoleon  and  was  brought  about  by  the  earnest 
labors  of  the  Rev.  Jesse  Swank. 

Rev.  F.  W.  Stanton  followed  Bro.  Swank  and  was  the  pastor 
for  two  years.  He  was  followed  by  Rev.  M.  D.  Baumgardner,  who 
remained  two  years;  Rev.  A.  R.  Custar  was  pastor  for  three  years, 
and  was  followed  by  Rev.  Charles  Bennett,  the  present  pastor 
(1914),  who  is  closing  up  the  second  year  of  service. 

The  Church  possesses  a  good  modern  parsonage  at  315  West 
Washington  Street,  which  is  in  a  good  state  of  repair. 

The  Church  is  in  a  prosperous  condition,  having  grown  from 
a  membership  of  205  when  the  new  church  was  dedicated  in  1898 
to  about  500  members  at  this  time. 

The  Sunday  school  has  an  enrollment  in  all  departments  of 
nearly  seven  hundred  members.  The  Church  has  a  strong  Epworth 
and  Junior  League,  and  all  other  departments  of  a  modern  Church. 

So  great  has  been  its  growth  that  the  congregation  is  now 
planning  for  the  erection  of  a  larger  and  better  church  to  meet  the 
growing  needs  of  this  growing  field  in  the  heart  of  one  of  the  richest 
counties  in  Ohio. 

Two  of  the  ministers  who  served  this  charge,  the  Rev.  W.  B. 
Scannell  and  the  Rev.  Ebenezer  Linsey,  lie  buried  in  the  Glenwood 
cemetery,  just  west  of  Napoleon. 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        243 


NORTH  BALTIMORE  CHURCH. 

The  first  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  North  Baltimore  was 
organized  by  Rev.  Joshua  M.  Longfellow  in  1877. 

But  two  members  who  united  with  the  Church  at  that  time 
are  still  living,  Mrs.  Kate  Groves  and  Mrs.  J.  F.  Tice. 

The  first  church  building  was  erected  during  the  pastorate  of 
Rev.  J.  S.  G.  Reeder,  1880-83. 

The  present  church,  a  splendid,  commodious  structure,  was 
built  in  1892,  during  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  A.  A.  Thomas. 

NORTH  LEWISBURG  CHURCH. 

In  the  year  1805  Hezekiah  Spain  came  from  Virginia  and: 
settled  near  where  North  Lewisburg  is  situated.  The  country  was 
then  a  wilderness. 

About  the  year  1808  regular  preaching  every  four  weeks  was 
established  in  the  house  of  Mr.  Spain,  and  the  appointment  was  a 
part  of  the  Lebanon  Circuit.  Several  years  afterward  the  circuit 
was  divided  and  that  part  of  it  to  which  the  society  at  Spain's  house 
belonged  fell  to  the  Mad  River  Circuit. 

In  the  year  1816  a  small  cabin  was  built  for  religious  services 
one  mile  west  of  the  site  of  North  Lewisburg,  where  services  were 
held  until  the  year  1832,  when  a  more  ____^^^__^^^_^_giii 
pretentious,  hewed-log  church  was 
erected  just  north  of  the  old  one  and 
was  known  as  Spain's  Church. 

Willis  Spain  is  the  only  man  now 
living  that  helped  to  build  that  church. 
The  society  at  that  time  numbered 
about  twenty  members. 

Willis  Spain,  son  of  Hezekiah 
Spain,  and  his  present  wife,'  Nancy 
(Epps)  Spain,  whose  parents  came 
from  Virginia  in  1807,  are  the  only 
surviving  members  of  the  society  when 

the  church  of  1832  was  built. 

REV.  MICHAEL  YEAGLE,  PASTOR. 
Afterward  Abram  and  Lemuel  Spam 

and  Abram  Holy  Cross  were  members  of  the  society.  Urbana, 
part  of  the  Mad  River  Circuit,  desiring  to  be  made  a  station,  the 
Mechanicsburg  Circuit  was  formed  with  North  Lewisburg  as  one 
of  the  appointments. 


244  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

In  the  course  of  a  few  years  North  Lewisburg  became  a  part 
of  East  Liberty  Circuit,  and  in  1810  another  change  was  made 
which  constituted  North  Lewisburg  a  station. 

The  first  pastor  of  the  Church  after  it  became  a  station  was 
the  Rev.  Geo.  W.  Kelley. 

In  1850  a  frame  church  was  erected  in  North  Lewisburg,  Wil- 
liam Andas,  William  Crowder,  Royal  Jennings,  Abraham  Spain, 
Jos.  T.  Gary,  and  Caleb  F.  Brown,  trustees. 

The  building  and  bell  cost  $1,350,  and  was  dedicated  by  the 
Rev.  James  I/.  Grover,  presiding  elder  of  the  district. 

At  the  time  of  the  dedication  of  the  church  the  Rev.  Philip 
Nation  was  preacher  in  charge  and  Alfred  U.  Beal  junior  preacher. 

The  membership  of  Spain's  Church  was  transferred  to  the 
Church  in  North  Lewisburg. 

The  ministers  who  served  the  Church  in  North  Lewisburg  and 
at  Spain's  society  were:  Geo.  W.  Walker,  Michael  Marlay,  Joshua 
Boucher,  Alexander  Morrow,  David  Warnock,  Samuel  Clark,  James 
Smith,  Silas  Chase,  I.  B.  Cartlich,  Abraham  Wambaugh,  T.  A.  G. 
Phillips,  Wm.  Letsinger,  Voluntine  Beemer,  Elijah  H.  Field,  Jos. 
W.  Smith,  James  T.  Donahue,  David  Sharp,  Edward  P.  Hall, 
Philip  Nation,  William  Cheever,  Thomas  M.  Thrall,  Thomas  D. 
Crow,  Wesley  Denit,  Geo.  W.  Harris,  James  Kendall,  Thomas 
Andas,  Jas.  T.  Bail,  John  Vance,  Samuel  Brown,  John  M.  Sullivan, 
Jos.  W.  Smith.  David  Sharp.  James  Manning,  N.  McDonald,  W.  N 
Williams,  D.  Sargent,  W.  C.  Jackson,  T.  E.  Fidler,  W.  Webster, 
J.  Verity,  J.  C.  Deem,  E.  McHugh,  H.  M.  Curry,  John  Shinn, 
Geo.  W.  Kelley,  J.  F.  Loyd,  G.  D.  Kennedy,  T.  D.  Hayward. 

The  present  church  edifice  was  built  in  1881-82,  at  a  cost  of 
$10,000,  on  the  site  of  the  old  building.  The  territory  in  which 
North  Lewisburg  is  situated  was  embraced  in  the  Cincinnati  Con- 
ference until  some  twenty-five  years  ago. 

The  Church  at  North  Lewisburg  lost  by  death  within  the  past 
year  one  of  its  members  who  was  over  a  hundred  years  old  and 
who  had  been  a  Methodist  for  ninety-four  years. 

The  present  pastor  is  Michael  Yeagle. 

PAULDING  CHURCH. 

Methodism  was  begun  in  Paulding  County  in  1830.  The  Rev. 
J.  J.  Hill,  pastor  of  St.  Marys  Circuit,  established  an  appoint- 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        245 

ment  in  Brown  Township  in  that  year,  and  in  the  year  1831  he 
began  to  preach  at  Milligan's,  in  Washington  Township. 

St.  Marys  Circuit  included  St.  Marys,  Wiltshire,  Shane's  Cross- 
ing, Milligan,  Antwerp,  Defiance,  and  Florida,  a  four  weeks'  cir- 
cuit, taking  about  three  hundred  miles  to  encompass  it. 

A  society  was  organized  and  regular  preaching  established  at 
Junction  in  1849.  In  1850  the  Rev.  H.  A.  Brown  organized  the 
first  Sunday  school  in  the  northwest  part  of  the  county. 

The  town  of  Paulding  was  laid  out  in  1850.  The  first  house 
built  was  by  Elias  Shaffer,  in  1851.  In  1855  the  North  Ohio 
Conference  appropriated  $90  for  Paulding  Mission,  and  Joseph  S. 
Shaw  was  appointed  preacher  in  charge,  and  by  him  the  Paulding 
society  was  organized.  The  Rev.  David  Gray  was  the  presiding 
elder.  In  1856  the  Central  Ohio  Conference  appropriated  $100  to 
Paulding  Mission  and  appointed  Enoch  Longsworth  and  John 
Priddy  to  the  work. 

From  1857-58  Paulding  was  included  in  the  Toledo  District, 
David  Gray  presiding  elder  and  Moses  Hebbard  and  Josiah  Adams 
preachers.  The  charge  was  allowed  $100  that  year. 

In  1858  Josiah  Adams  and  Henry  Bogers  were  the  preachers 
on  Paulding  Mission.  In  1859  Antwerp  Circuit  included  Paulding, 
with  David  Bulle  as  preacher.  In  1860  John  Chillen  was  min- 
ister; in  1861-62,  John  T.  Bower,  and  in  1863-64,  Enoch  G.  Longs- 
worth. 

In  1865  Paulding  was  included  in  Junction  Mission,  with  Jos. 
Ferguson  as  pastor,  and  in  1866-67,  H.  A.  Brown.  In  1868-69 
Paulding  became  the  head  of  the  circuit  with  E.  A.  Gammon  as 
pastor,  and  in  1870  it  was  changed  back  to  Junction  Circuit  with 
E.  T.  Curnius  in  charge;  and  in  1871  73  the  charge  was  called 
Junction  and  Paulding  with  H.  H.  Harper  as  pastor. 

From  this  time  until  the  year  1887,  when  Paulding  became  a 
station,  the  following  brethren  were  the  pastors:  Wm.  R.  Shultz, 
John  Houghtby,  W.  T.  Maltbie,  E.  H.  Cain,  C.  W.  Wolf,  J.  H. 
Keeler,  J.  C.  Crider,  and  Wm.  S.  Philpott. 

Under  the  pastorate  of  H.  H.  Harper  a  church  was  built  on 
the  land  owned  by  the  School  Board. 

When  Paulding  was  made  a  station  in  1887,  Wm.  S.  Philpott 
was  still  pastor,  and  there  were  125  members.  The  appointments 
since  then  have  been  M.  C.  Howey,  Mortimer  Gascoigne,  M.  D. 


246  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

Scott,  S.  L.  Roberts,  Wm.  Hook,  Jacob  Hoffman,  W.  T.  Stockstill, 
David  F.  Helms,  and  A.  R.  Custar. 

The  present  church  edifice  was  begun  under  the  pastorate  of 
S.  L.  Roberts,  and  completed  during  that  of  Wm.  Hook. 

The  Building  Committee  was  composed  of  J.  P.  and  W.  J. 
Gasser,  James  Lynn,  A.  N.  Wilcox,  W.  H.  Mustart,  W.  H.  Snook, 
and  A.  R.  Geyer. 

Paulding  is  the  county  seat  of  Paulding  County,  a  flourishing 
town  of  some  3,000  inhabitants  and  in  one  of  the  most  prosperous 
sections  of  Northwestern  Ohio.  The  Church  has  grown  to  be  a 
Jfine  station  and  pays  a  salary  of  $1,600. 

PAYNE  CHURCH. 

St.  Paul  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Payne  is  the  outgrowth 
of  a  class  organized  in  1864  by  the- Rev.  John  Brakefield. 

It  was  the  second  Church  organization  in  the  vicinity  of  Payne. 

Other  ministers,  among  whom  were  H.  A.  Brown,  S.  H.  Alder- 
man, E.  T.  Gumming,  and  Christian  W.  Wolf,  had  preached  in  this 
section  before. 

The  charter  members  were:  Louis  Stillwell  and  wife,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  A.  F.  Hardesty  and  Anna  Hardesty,  Jonathan  Snellenberger, 
and  Caroline  Christopher.  These  with  some  others  and  the  follow- 
ing early  accessions  formed  the  nucleus  of  the  congregation:  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Henry  Venrick,  J.  W.  Stillwell  and  wife,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
John  Gibson,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jacob  Greenser,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  G.  W. 
Sowers,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilson  Graham,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  R.  T. 
Ross. 

The  first  services  were  held  in  the  Wiltsie  schoolhouse,  two 
miles  northeast  of  Payne.  The  class  belonged  to  Paulding  Circuit 
and  was  served  by  Mr.  Bonham  and  C.  W.  Wolf. 

In  1882  services  were  held  in  the  United  Brethren  Church,  when 
the  class  became  a  part  of  Antwerp  Circuit  with  Samuel  Boggs 
as  minister.  Upon  the  coming  of  Brother  Boggs  plans  were  laid 
for  the  erection  of  a  Methodist  church,  and  the  work  of  building 
was  commenced  in  1883. 

Gen.  W.  H.  Gibson,  of  Tiffin,  Ohio,  was  a  donor  to  the  enter- 
prise, who  with  a  number  of  self-sacrificing  members  of  the  Society 
made  the  undertaking  possible.  The  trustees  of  the  Church  were 
G.  W.  Sowers,  R.  T.  Ross,  F.  M.  Spellman,  J.  S.  Carmack,  J.  W. 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        247 

Cartwright,  A.  F.  Hardesty,  Wilson  Graham,  Henry  Radenbaugh, 
and  D.  P.  Dildine.  The  first  meeting  was  held  in  May,  1883,  with 
Samuel  Boggs  as  pastor. 

In  September,  1885,  the  Rev.  David  Rutledge,  D.  D.,  of  Dela- 
ware, Ohio,  dedicated  the  Church,  S.  H.  Alderman  being  the  pastor. 
At  the  time  of  the  dedication  the  Rev.  S.  L.  Roberts  was  presiding 
elder  of  the  Defiance  District. 

Brother  Alderman  died  early  in  his  second  year,  and  H.  A. 
Brown  was  appointed  to  fill  out  the  year.  M.  D.  Scott  was  pastor 
from  1885  to  1887,  when  J.  C.  demons  became  pastor,  during 
whose  pastorate  the  Church  had  the  greatest  revival  in  its  history. 
In  1889  the  Rev.  J.  B.  Smith  was  transferred  from  the  Northwest 
Indiana  Conference  and  appointed  to  the  charge.  During  his  five 
years'  stay  the  Church  had  great  prosperity  in  all  departments. 
The  parsonage  was  built  during  Brother  Smith's  pastorate. 

In  1895  G.  M.  Hunter  came  on  the  work,  and  then  J.  G.  Martin, 
who  started  a  subscription  to  enlarge  the  church;  but  his  health 
failing,  he  was  forced  to  resign,  and  S.  S.  Clay  was  secured  to  fill 
out  the  year. 

In  1899  B.  F.  Gordon  was  appointed  to  the  charge  and  with  a 
band  of  noble  helpers  succeeded  by  February,  1900,  in  completing 
the  remodeling  of  the  church,  when  the  Rev.  David  H.  Moore,  then 
editor  of  the  Western  Christian  Advocate,  dedicated  the  building. 
At  the  commencement  of  Brother  Gordon's  second  year  he  was  com- 
pelled on  account  of  impaired  health  to  resign,  and  J.  F.  Mounts 
filled  out  the  year. 

The  ministers  serving  the  Church  since  1901  have  been:  C.  M. 
Monosmith,  A.  E.  Delanoy,  J.  F.  Street,  M.  D.  Scott,  W.  E.  Ice, 
and  G.  M.  Baumgardner. 

The  presidng  elders  and  district  superintendents  have  been: 
Alexander  Harmount,  I.  R.  Henderson,  S.  L.  Roberts,  Gershom 
Lease,  J.  H.  Fitzwater,  J.  M.  Mills,  Parker  P.  Pope,  J.  H. 
Bethards,  and  J.  F.  Harshbarger. 

PERRYSBURG  CHURCH. 
THE  FIRST  CHURCH  IN  THE  MAUMEE  VALLEY. 
Perrysburg  was  named  after  Commodore  Perry,  the  naval  hero 
of  the  War  of  1812.    Situated  at  the  head  of  navigation,  its  founders 
believed  it  would  become  the  city  of  the  greater  lower  lakes. 


248  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

The  town  is  finely  located  on  the  banks  of  the  Maumee  River, 
from  which  a  view  of  great  beauty  is  obtained;  up  the  river  is  Fort 
Meigs,  on  the  same  side,  and  Maumee,  on  the  opposite  side,  while 
farther  up  are  the  rapids  of  the  Maumee  and  the  battlefield  of 
"Fallen  Timbers;"  opposite,  across  the  river,  are  Fort  Miami  and 
the  Lucas  County  Children's  Home,  while  down  the  river  the  giant 
elevators,  the  church  steeples,  and  the  smoking  stacks  of  Toledo  may 
be  seen. 

In  those  early  days  when  the  Methodist  itinerants  first  visited 
Perrysburg  the  banks  of  the  river  were  covered  to  the  water's 
edge  with  a  massive  growth  of  native  timber — the  maple,  elm,  oak, 
hickory,  and  willow — to  which  clung  grapevines  of  long  years' 
growth,  and  the  islands — larger  then  than  at  present,  were  clothed 
with  a  beautiful  foliage. 

The  first  Methodist  preachers  to  proclaim  the  gospel  in  Perrys- 
burg were  John  P.  Kent  and  P.   B.   Morrey,  who  came  in   1820. 
After  the  War  of  1812  Fort  Meigs  was  for  several  years  the 
place  of  meeting  of  the  pioneers  for  religious  worship,  and  after- 
wards, when   Fort   Meigs   was 
no  longer  needed,  Maumee  City 
and  Perrysburg  sprang  up. 

Among  the  early  pioneers 
from  whom  many  facts  have 
been  obtained  concerning  the 
establishment  of  the  Methodist 
Church  in  Perrysburg  and  vi- 
cinity were  John  Webb,  Mother 
Spafford,  Peter  Cranker,  W.  B. 
Way,  and  Francis  Hellenbeck. 
Mr.  Webb's  acquaintance  with 
Perrysburg  dates  back  to  1819. 
The  members  of  the  first  class 
were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spafford, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hubble  (of  Fort 
Miami),  and  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
John  Webb. 

This  small  class  was  greatly 
REV.  STEWART  BAUMGARDNER,  PASTOR.        .  ,    •,    .  j    e  •      j-i 

aided  in  support  and  friendly 

sympathy  by  many  outsiders.      In  the  absence  of  any   Methodist 
itinerant,  the  Rev.  Van  Tassell,  a  Presbyterian  missionary,  preached 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        249 

for  a  time  for  the  class.  Mr.  Van  Tassell  was  in  charge  of  the 
Presbyterian  Mission  near  Waterville,  Ohio. 

The  Spafford  and  the  Webb  homes  were  the  preaching  places 
of  the  society  until  a  brick  schoolhouse  was  built,  which  served  both 
as  church  and  schoolhouse  until  1836,  when,  with  the  Rev.  L.  B. 
Gurley  as  the  presiding  elder  and  the  Rev.  O.  Mitchell  as  the  pastor, 
the  Church  still  standing  and  in  use  was  erected,  the  first  in  the 
Maumee  Valley. 

The  Spaffords'  house  was  known  during  these  years  as  Meth- 


PERRYSBURG  CHURCH  AND  PARSONAGE. 

iHuilt  in  1836.) 

odist  headquarters.  The  year  when  the  church  was  built  is  memora- 
ble in  the  drama  of  war  over  the  State  boundary  line  between  the 
Michiganders  and  the  Buckeyes  in  the  Maumee  Valley. 

Perrysburg  was  the  headquarters  of  Governor  Lucas  and  his 
staff.  The  Michigan  forces  had  their  headquarters  at  Sylvania, 
some  ten  miles  west  of  Toledo,  and  the  Ohio  forces  were  stationed 
chiefly  where  Toledo  now  stands. 

The  Rev.  L.  B.  Gurley,  then  a  young  man  full  of  zeal,  eloquent 
and  popular  as  a  pulpit  orator,  so  won  the  wood-will  of  Governor 
Lucas,  who  was  a  Methodist,  and  the  confidence  of  the  citizens 
that  on  one  Sunday  morning  a  large  sum  of  money  was  secured 
for  the  building  of  a  church  costing  about  $2,000.  It  was  built 
and  dedicated  in  1836.  In  1806  the  church  was  remodeled  with 


250  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


the  addition  of  a  tower,  bell,  and  stained  glass  windows,  at  a  total 
cost  of  $1,500,  the  Rev.  Thomas  N.  Barkdull,  pastor.  The  building 
was  further  improved  under  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  D.  H.  Bailey 
in  the  year  1898.  In  1873  a  parsonage  was  provided,  costing 
$1,600,  during  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  N.  B.  C.  Love.  The 
church  building  is  commodious  and  homelike.  It  is  an  inspiration 
to  stand  in  the  pulpit  where  most  of  the  pioneer  preachers  of  the 
Maumee  Valley  have  stood  and  preached  the  gospel  within  the  past 
seventy-eight  years. 

Some  of  these  "old-time"  ministers  who  preached  in  this  region 
as  elsewhere  throughout  the  borders  of  the  early  Church  were  fond 
of  religious  controversy,  their  power  in  polemics  being  greatly  de- 
veloped. There  were  Universalists  to  be  silenced,  Calvinists  to  be 
overthrown,  and  Millerites  to  be  shaken  from  their  vagaries  and 
dreams. 

The  Church  to-day  has  a  membership  of  over  three  hundred, 
and  pays  a  salary  of  $1,000  and  a  good  parsonage.  The  town  is 
becoming  a  delightful  residential  suburb  of  Toledo,  and  the  thor- 
oughfare between  the  town  and  the  city  is  rapidly  becoming  lined 
and  beautified  with  comfortable  homes  and  fine  buildings. 

The  Church  has  been  served  by  more  than  sixty  preachers  dur- 
ing the  course  of  its  long  history,  all  of  whom  have  witnessed  a 
good  profession,  and  their  names  are  as  follows:  John  P.  Kent, 
P.  B.  Morrey,  Elias  Pattee,  S.  Baker,  John  A.  Baughman,  George 
Walker,  Jacob  Heil,  J.  B.  Finley,  E.  C.  Gavitt,  E.  B.  Pilcher, 
Wm.  Sprague,  Cyrus  Brooks,  O.  Mitchell,  D.  Burns,  R.  N.  Chubb, 
J.  W.  Bowen,  Rev.  Cacraft,  L.  Hill,  P.  Start,  H.  S.  Bradley,  I.  L. 
Johnson,  John  Janes,  J.  B.  Jewitt,  T.  Cooper,  C.  H.  Owen,  L. 
Ward,  John  Graham,  Thomas  Parker,  Thomas  J.  Pope,  D.  P. 
Pelto,  J.  F.  Burkholder,  L.  D.  Rogers,  Ambrose  Hollington,  Wm. 
S.  Lunt,  Wm.  Fegtley,  S.  H.  Alderman,  Lewis  M.  Albright,  J. 
Shannon,  T.  N.  Barkdull,  John  S.  Kalb,  John  H.  Wilson,  N.  B.  C. 
Love,  Joseph  H.  Bethards,  L.  T.  Clark,  T.  J.  Pope,  W.  A.  Yingling, 
J.  L.  Scott,  Wm.  H.  Scoles,  Geo.  B.  Wiltsie,  John  C.  Shaw,  David 
H.  Bailey,  Daniel  Stecker,  W.  T.  Dumm,  George  Matthews,  G.  W. 
Sower,  W.  W.  Constein,  E.  J.  Webster,  and  Stewart  Baumgardner, 
the  present  pastor,  who  is  having  a  very  successful  pastorate.. 

Among  the  members  of  this  Church  appear  the  names  of  A.  G. 
Williams,  Wm.  Barton,  Mr.  Wallace  (the  father  of  the  Rev.  Richard 
W.  Wallace),  and  C.  F.  Chapman;  and  among  its  stanch  and  noble 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        251 

friends:  General  Hunt,  Governor  Lucas,  W.  B.  Way,  Hon.  E.  D. 
Peck,  Perry  Thomas,  Francis  Hallenbeck,  Dr.  Hamilton,  and  Gen- 
eral P.  S.  Slevin.  This  historic  Church  has  had  in  its  membership 
and  congregation  many  noble  men  and  women. 

RICHWOOD  CHURCH. 

In  the  year  1834  Rev.  Warren  Frazell,  an  itinerant  preacher, 
was  sent  to  this  community  as  minister.  A  little  class  of  five 
whose  names  should  never  be  forgotten  had  gathered  together  the 
year  before  and  enrolled  their  names.  They  were  William  Phillips 
and  his  wife,  Isabella  Ann  Phillips;  Mortimer  Bentley  and  wife, 
Nancy  Bently,  and  Mrs.  Elsie  Sirpless.  Soon  after  the  following 
names  were  added:  Mrs.  Sarah  Woods,  wife  of  John  Woods;  Mrs. 
Margaret  Brookins,  wife  of  Dr.  John  P.  Brookins ;  William  Bark- 
dull  and  his  wife,  Priscilla;  Adam  Benge; 
Hezekiah  Burdish  and  his  wife,  Catherine, 
and  their  daughters,  Lois  and  Catherine ;  and 
Philip  Plummer  and  wife,  Ann  Maria.  To 
these  sixteen  charter  members  Rev.  Frazell 
preached  until  1835,  when  the  infant  society 
took  another  step  forward.  At  a  quarterly 
meeting  held  at  Cyree  Lendon's,  June  20, 
1835,  Rich  wood  was  joined  to  twelve  other 
societies  to  constitute  the  Richwood  Circuit. 
The  following  entry  appears  on  the  record- 
ing steward's  book:  "Brother  Frazell  re-  REV.  ALBERT  H.  WEAVER, 
ceived  ninety  dollars  for  three  quarters." 

Jacob  Young,  famous  throughout  Western  Methodism,  was  pre- 
siding elder. 

During  the  year  1837  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  erected 
the  first  house  of  worship  in  Claibourne  Township.  It  was  built 
of  logs  hewed  square,  the  cracks  being  daubed  with  mortar,  and 
was  about  28  x  30  feet  in  size.  The  seats  were  without  backs,  being 
simply  slabs  of  wood  with  wooden  pegs  for  legs.  It  had  a  high 
pulpit,  and  was  warmed  by  a  stove  in  the  center  of  the  room.  It 
was  located  on  Fulton  Street,  where  the  residence  of  John  Lang- 
staff  now  stands.  On  August  11,  1837,  this  house  was  dedicated 
by  Rev.  Samuel  Hamilton.  Rev.  E.  T.  Webster  was  the  preacher 
in  charge. 

At  the  third  quarterly  meeting,  held  in  Robert  Perry's  barn  on 


252  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

the  Scioto  River,  it  was  decided  to  build  a  parsonage,  and  the  first 
Board  of  Trustees,  composed  of  the  following,  was  appointed: 
William  Barkdull,  Nathan  Richardson,  Lewis  H.  Hastings,  Chris- 
tian Gowell,  and  William  Phillips.  It  was  built  of  logs,  and  stood 
on  the  corner  now  occupied  by  the  church. 

In  the  year  1856-58,  during  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Joseph  Good 
and  Joshua  M.  Longfellow,  a  new,  substantial,  two-story  brick 
structure  with  tower  and  bell  was  built.  It  cost  about  $6,000. 
The  log  parsonage  which  sheltered  the  early  preachers,  who  had 
long  disappeared,  was  removed  and  replaced  by  a  new  frame  dwell- 
ing costing  about  $1,500  in  the  year  1883. 

The  outlying  appointments  had  one  by  one  been  cut  off  as  the 
Church  in  Richwood  grew  stronger,  until  it  was  thought  to  be  able 
to  stand  alone.  In  1874  the  last  one,  Finley  Chapel,  north  of 
town,  was  joined  to  another  circuit;  since  then  Richwood  has  been 
a  station. 

In  the  year  1901  the  Richwood  Methodists  felt  that  their  needs 
had  outrun  the  accommodations  of  the  old  brick  house  of  worship, 
and  began  promoting  a  new  church  enterprise.  During  the  follow- 
ing years,  under  the  wise  leadership  of  Rev.  A.  A.  Thomas  as  pastor, 
plans  were  consummated  and  hopes  realized  in  the  completion  of  a 
beautiful  modern  brick  church  costing  about  $21,000.  A  new  par- 
sonage is  planned  and  will  be  built  soon. 

The  Rev.  Albert  H.  Weaver  is  now  (1914)  pastor  and  is  enjoy- 
ing "good  success"  in  the  Lord's  work.  During  the  eighteen  months 
of  this  pastorate  about  two  hundred,  mostly  adults,  have  been  re- 
ceived into  the  membership  of  the  Church.  The  Sunday  school 
enrollment  numbers  546,  with  a  Men's  Bible  Class  with  an  enroll- 
ment of  over  two  hundred  and  an  average  attendance  of  eighty. 

RUSHSYLVANIA  CHURCH. 

The  Rushsylvania  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  organized 
in  1861  by  the  Rev.  Wm.  J.  Peck  with  fourteen  members,  two  of 
whom  are  living.  At  first  and  until  1879  it  was  one  of  five  appoint- 
ments on  the  Zanesfield  Charge  when  it  was  made  the  head  of  a 
circuit,  under  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  David  B.  Rinehart. 

A  parsonage  was  built  in  1882.  The  circuit  now  consists  of 
Rushsylvania,  Hopewell,  and  St.  Paul  or  Taylor  Creek.  The 
Church  at  Rushsylvania  has  a  membership  of  145. 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        253 

The  first  church  building  was  a  frame  structure.  In  1893, 
under  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  S.  W.  Scott,  a  new  brick  building 
was  commenced,  and  under  the  labors  of  the  Rev.  J.  C.  Crider 
the  church  was  completed  at  a  cost  of  about  $4,500.  Rev.  E.  D. 
Whitlock,  at  that  time  presiding  elder  of  the  Bellefontaine  District, 
had  charge  of  the  dedicatory  services. 

The  ministers  who  have  served  the  charge  are:  A.  J.  Frisbie, 
H.  J.  Bigley,  J.  S.  Blair,  M.  M.  Markwith,  J.  S.  Reeder,  David 
J.  Whiting,  T.  I.  Jagger,  David  B.  Rinehart,  John  Parlette,  E.  C. 
Gavitt,  B.  B.  Powell,  S.  W.  Scott,  J.  C.  Crider,  E.  D.  Cooke,  C.  F. 
Gowdy,  J.  D.  Simms,  W.  P.  Bender,  F.  M.  Houser,  A.  V.  Knepper, 
and  J.  W.  Home. 

SHERWOOD  CHURCH. 

The  Sherwood  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  first  organized 
in  a  log  schoolhouse  standing  about  one-half  mile  north  of  the  town 
by  Rev.  Cameron  and  Rev.  A.  Robertson,  and  was  composed  of  a 
goodly  number  of  the  early  settlers,  but  from  different  causes  they 
became  divided  and  some  joined  other  Churches.  Rev.  A.  Robert- 
son labored  among  this  people  and  aided  much  in  keeping  Meth- 
odism alive  here. 

Some  time  later,  about  the  year  1875,  the  Methodists  commenced 
to  hold  services  in  a  hall  located  at  the  corner  of  Lawrence  and 
Taylor  Streets,  where  they  continued  until  the  year  1880,  when 
they  purchased  a  lot  of  Elias  Miller,  located  on  the  corner  of 
Taylor  and  Vine  Streets,  where  they  erected  the  present  church 
building;  Rev.  Thco.  W.  Brake  was  pastor  in  charge.  Mr.  Zeno 
Miller  and  Mr.  Harry  Mitchel  were  the  Building  Committee,  and 
Eli  Kaiser  was  the  contractor  and  builder.  Some  time  during  the 
following  winter  Rev.  W.  G.  Waters,  the  presiding  elder,  dedicated 
the  house  to  the  worship  of  God. 

The  names  of  those  who  served  as  pastor  of  the  Church  in 
Sherwood  are  as  follows:  S.  O.  Shreeves,  Haley  C.  Gavitt,  Theo. 
W.  Brake,  M.  T.  Ayers,  W.  G.  Talbert,  J.  W.  Shultz,  R.  W.  Mun- 
son,  John  Houghtby,  D.  H.  Bailey,  S.  J.  Colgan,  E.  D.  Cooke, 
H.  A.  Brown,  W.  H.  Drury,  L.  B.  Smith,  J.  H.  Wingate,  John 
Pimlott,  W.  T.  Cordrey,  J.  W.  Hodge,  J.  M.  Longsworth,  Chas. 
Monosmith,  J.  S.  Altman,  Michael  Yeagle,  A.  C.  Rainsberger,  A.  D. 
Miller,  and  G.  W.  Deemer.  The  society  has  a  membership  of 


254 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


forty-five  at  the  present  time,  and  a  Sunday  school  which  has  an 
average  attendance  of  about  one  hundred. 

SIDNEY  CHURCH. 

The  first  sermon  in  Sidney  by  a  Methodist  was  preached  by 
Lewis  White  in  1825,  in  the  home  of  John  Frankenburger,  at  which 
time  a  class  of  eight  members  was  formed.  Sidney  was  at  that 
time  a  part  of  Bellefontaine  Circuit,  which  included  West  Liberty 
and  Westville,  with  all  the  intervening  territory.  David  Young 
was  presiding  elder,  and  the  charge  was  in  the  Ohio  Conference. 
The  first  church  building  erected  in  Sidney  was  in  1831;  the 
second  in  1838,  and  was  dedicated  by  the  Rev.  Edward  Sehon, 
D.  D.,  afterward  prominent  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South.  David  Warnock  and  Wm.  Suttori  were  the  preachers  in 
charge. 

Sidney  became  the  head  of  a  circuit  in  1834,  and  was  made  a 
station  in  1843. 

The  present  church  building  was  erected  in  1867,  during  the 
pastorate  of  the  Rev.  W.  J.  Wells,  but  not  completed  until  1873, 
when  the  Rev.  Joseph  Wykes  was  pastor. 

The  fourth  church  building,  which  is  to  be  a  new  addition  to 
the  remodeled  old  structure,  to  cost  $60,000,  was  begun  in  1912-13, 

with  W.  B.  Armington,  pastor,  and 
was  completed  in  February,  1914. 
The  Church  in  Sidney  has  enter- 
tained the  Annual  Conference  five 
times,  Bishops  Janes,  Andrews, 
Warren,  Joyce,  and  Neely  pre- 
siding. 

The  following  ministers  have 
served  the  Church  as  pastors: 
Lewis  White,  Philip  G  a  t  c  h  , 
Beacham,  Boucher,  Clark,  J.  B. 
Finley,  Wm.  Simms,  Sullivan, 
Stewart,  W.  S.  Morrow,  Sharp, 
D.  D.  Davison,  Smith,  Chase 
Miller,  David  Warnock,  Hansley, 
Samuel  Lynch,  Taylor,  James,  Brown,  Stafford,  Star,  Elmer 
Yocum,  W.  J.  Wells,  Joseph  Wykes,  Lamb,  Benjamin  Herbert, 


REV.  WM.  B.  ARMIXGTOX,  D.  D., 
PASTOR. 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        255 


S.  H.  Alderman,  L.  C.  Webster,  Chas.  H.  Ketcham,  Gershom  Lease, 
T.  C.  Read,  Oliver  Kennedy,  L.  M.  Albright,  P.  P.  Pope,  Daniel 
Strong,  J.  H.  Bethards,  Isaac  Newton,  W.  W.  Lance,  T.  L.  Wiltsie, 
M.  M.  Figley,  W.  G.  Waters,  Clayton  Smucker,  E.  E.  McCammon, 
and  W.  B.  Armington. 


SIDNEY  CHURCH  AND  PARSONAGE. 


MR.  W.  H.  C.  GOODS. 


MRS.  W.  H.  C.  GOODE. 


256  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

There  is  a  record  that  seventeen  men  have  gone  from  this  Church 
into  the  ministry. 

The  parsonage  was  built  in  1888,  during  the  pastorate  of  Isaac 
Newton,  at  a  cost,  lot  and  house,  of  $9,000,  and  is  modern  in  every 
respect  and  has  been  equipped  during  the  erection  of  the  new  church 
with  steam  heat,  electric  lights,  hardwood  floors,  and  paint. 

The  present  membership  of  the  Church  is  1,150,  resident  and 
non-resident,  making  this  one  of  the  largest  and  strongest  Churches 
of  the  Conference. 

The  largest  number  of  accessions  during  any  one  time  was 
during  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  J.  H.  Bethards,  when  four  hundred 
united,  and  the  next  largest  was  during  the  present  pastorate  in 
1912.  when  three  hundred  joined  the  Church. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Goode  are  very  active  and  helpful  in  the  work, 
not  only  of  the  local  Church,  but  in  the  Conference  and  general 
work.  Mrs.  Goode  has  been  for  some  years  president  of  the  Con- 
ference Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society,  and  after  the  union  of 
the  Conferences  into  the  West  Ohio  she  was  chosen  as  president 
of  the  new  Conference  society. 

ST.  MARYS  CHURCH. 

The  first  Methodist  services  in  St.  Marys  were  held  in  the  year 
1824,  and  the  Revs.  Millice  and  Wareham  were  among  the  first 
Methodist  ministers  who  visited  the  vicinity.  An  atlas  of  Auglaize 
County,  which  was  edited  by  Mr.  R.  Sutton,  states  that  a  Methodist 
society  was  organized  by  the  Rev.  James  B.  Finley  in  1825.  The 
official  records  of  Methodism  in  St.  Marys  and  vicinity  begin 
October  14,  1832. 

The  minutes  of  the  quarterly  meeting  held  on  that  date  show 
that  the  St.  Marys  Mission  was  in  the  Maumee  District  in  the  Ohio 
Conference,  and  that  the  Rev.  Wm.  H.  Raper  was  the  presiding 
elder  and  the  Rev.  Jesse  Prior  the  missionary. 

In  1838  the  society  was  transferred  from  the  Ohio  into  the 
Michigan  Conference,  and  in  1840  it  was  placed  in  the  Bellefoh- 
taine  District  in  the  North  Ohio  Conference,  which  had  just  been 
organized.  In  that  year  the  appointment  was  changed  from  a  mis- 
sion to  a  two  weeks'  circuit. 

In  1844  the  charge  was  made  a  part  of  the  Sidney  District, 
and  in  1847  St.  Marys  and  Willshire  Circuits  were  combined  and 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        257 

called  the  St.  Marys  Mission;  and  in  1848  it  was  again  made  a 
circuit.  After  two  years,  in  1850,  the  appointment  was  changed 
back  to  a  mission,  and  in  1852  again  declared  a  station. 

In  1856  the  northwest  part  of  the  State  was  organized  into  the 
Delaware,  now  and  since  1860  the  Central  Ohio  Conference,  and 
St.  Marys  became  a  part  of  Lima  District,  where  it  has  remained. 

The  charge  remained  a  station  until  1869,  when  for  a  year  it 
was  an  appointment  on  the  Wapakoneta  Circuit,  and  then  made  a 
station  for  two  years,  when  it  was  once  more  changed  to  a  circuit. 

In  1886  St.  Marys  became  a  station  again  and  has  so  appeared 
in  Conference  appointments  ever  since.  The  first  building  occupied 
by  the  St.  Marys  Church  was  a  log  schoolhouse. 

A  frame  building  was  erected  in  1838,  and  in  1841,  after  a 
ninety-nine  year  lease  had  been  obtained  for  the  present  site,  the 
frame  church  was  removed  to  the  new  location. 

In  April,  1866,  with  the  Rev.  A.  J.  Frisbie  pastor,  it  was  de- 
cided to  erect  a  new  brick  church,  and  the  building  was  completed 
in  the  fall  of  1867,  when  the  Rev.  J.  F.  Mounts  was  pastor. 

In  1892,  during  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  Stewart  Baumgardner, 
extensive  additions  were  made  to  the  building,  enlarging  its  size 
and  enhancing  its  appearance  and  value. 

In  the  year  1908,  under  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  C.  W.  Sutton, 
steps  were  taken  to  build  an  entirely  new  brick  edifice;  but  on 
account  of  uncontrollable  circumstances  the  effort  was  postponed 
until  February,  1911,  when  the  movement  was  taken  up  under  the 
pastorate  of  the  Rev.  C.  C.  Kennedy,  the  present  pastor.  The 
contract  was  let  in  April  of  that  year,  ground  was  broken  in  the 
following  May,  and  in  June  the  corner-stone  was  laid  by  the  Rev. 
T.  H.  Campbell,  D.  D.,  now  of  King  Avenue  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  Columbus;  and  on  April  7,  1912,  the  church  was  dedicated 
by  Bishop  Robert  Mclntyre,  assisted  by  the  Rev.  W.  D.  Parr,  of 
the  Indiana  Conference. 

The  society  has  grown  from  eight  to  825  members.  The  follow- 
ing ministers  have  served  the  charge:  Jesse  Prior,  J.  B.  Finley, 
John  Alexander,  Philip  Wareham,  Isaac  Bennet,  Joseph  Saintly, 
Jonathan  Armstrong,  Greenbury  Vincent,  Martin  Welch,  Liberty 
Prentice,  A.  D.  Wambaugh,  Jacob  Brown,  Edward  Williams,  J.  J. 
McNabb,  Emanuel  Beatty,  Amos  Wilson,  C.  Thomas,  J.  R.  Jewett, 
J.  M.  Bara,  T.  W.  Bowdle,  C.  B.  Brandebury,  Elisha  Hook,  J.  F. 

17 


258  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

Mounts,  S.  B.  Guiberson,  Ralph  Wilcox,  Joseph  Wykes,  Franklin 
Marriott,  W.  W.  Winter,  John  Graham,  S.  H.  Alderman,  B.  A. 
Webster,  Win.  Deal,  A.  J.  Frisbie,  J.  F.  Mounts,  T.  J.  Mathers, 
I.  N.  Kalb,  J.  J.  Finley,  Wm.  G.  Littell,  Wm.  Coulter,  Chas.  W. 
Taneyhill,  J.  F.  Crooks,  J.  M.  Shultz,  Lemuel  Herbert,  W.  A. 
Yingling,  I.  N.  Smith,  J.  W.  Miller,  Jason  Young,  J.  W.  Donnan, 
J.  D.  Simms,  Stewart  Baumgardner,  Peter  Biggs,  J.  F.  Harsh- 
barger,  E.  B.  Lounsbury,  J.  C.  Shaw,  Chas.  W.  Sutton,  P.  P.  Pope, 
and  C.  C.  Kennedy. 

The  presiding  elders  and  district  superintendents  have  been: 
W.  H.  Raper,  L.  B.  Gurley,  John  Janes,  Wm.  S.  Morrow,  Samuel 
P.  Shaw,  Wesley  Brock,  H.  M.  Shaffer,  E.  C.  Gavitt,  Franklin 
Marriott,  S.  L.  Roberts,  Alexander  Harmount,  Arkinson  Berry, 
L.  M.  Albright,  J.  F.  Davies,  David  Rutledge,  I.  R.  Henderson, 
J.  H.  Fitzwater,  W.  G.  Waters,  J.  M.  Mills,  David  Bowers,  and 
M.  M.  Figley. 

ST.  JOHNS  CHURCH. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  St.  Johns,  Auglaize  County, 
was  organized  in  1856,  and  was  made  a  part  of  Lima  Circuit. 

In  1859  it  was  made  the  head  of  a  circuit  with  Wesley  Chapel, 
Pleasant  Hill,  Failers,  Amherst,  and  Hammocks  as  outlying  ap- 
pointments. 

The  pastors  who  have  served  the  circuit  are:  A.  J.  Frisbie, 
J.  C.  Miller,  David  Bulle,  Caleb  Hill,  E.  G.  Longsworth,  John  T. 
Bower,  I.  N.  Kalb,  J.  F.  Crooks,  Lemuel  Herbert,  Philip  Le- 
masters,  W.  R.  Shultz,  B.  F.  Jannary,  Harrison  Maltbie,  W.  G. 
Littell,  J.  M.  Longfellow,  J.  C.  Bolton,  R.  E.  Woodruff,  John 
Parlette,  J.  W.  Hill,  J.  J.  Richards,  H.  S.  Worthington,  K.  L. 
Smith,  H.  J.  Keister,  D.  N.  Kelley,  and  Joseph  Bennett. 

The  circuit  consists  at  present  of  St.  Johns,  Mt.  Tabor,  New 
Hampshire,  and  Wesley. 

ST.  PARIS  CHURCH. 

The  first  church  building,  a  frame  structure,  was  built  in 
1852-53,  when  the  Rev.  Geo.  W.  Harris  was  pastor. 

The  charter  members  were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mahlen,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Samuel  Overhaly,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jacob  Rhodes,  and  Benjamin  Kizer. 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        259 

The  present  commodious  brick  structure  was  erected  in  1876, 
when  the  Rev.  John  W.  Pearson  was  pastor. 

St.  Paris  was  a  part  of  the  Cincinnati  Conference  until  in  the 
early  eighties,  when  it  was  transferred  to  the  Central  Ohio  Con- 
ference. 

During  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  J.  W.  Gibson  a  pleasant  and 
convenient  parsonage  was  secured. 

The  charge  consisted  for  a  great  many  years  of  St.  Paris  and 
Lena,  and  at  Lena,  where  there  was  a  parsonage,  the  minister  had 
his  residence.  Several  years  ago  St.  Paris  became  a  station. 

The  Church  has  a  membership  of  300,  and  is  an  enjoyable 
society  to  serve. 


SWANTON  CHURCH. 

The  Swanton  Church  was  originally  a  part  of  the  Metamora 
Circuit,  but  was  made  a  station  in  1888.  The  Rev.  B.  N.  Board- 
man  was  appointed  pastor.  A  new  church  was  at  once  begun,  which 
was  dedicated  December  1,  1889,  by 
Dr.  E.  D.  Whitlock.  On  December 
1,  1891,  this  church  was  burned,  and 
another  was  erected  on  the  same 
ground,  the  enterprise  being  led  by 
Rev.  M.  D.  Baumgardner.  This 
church  was  dedicated  by  Dr.  P.  P. 
Pope  in  December,  1892. 

Dr.  N.  B.  C.  Love  served  this 
charge  from  1895  to  1898;  Rev.  J. 
D.  Simms,  1898  to  1901,  and  Rev. 
Wm.  Boyer  from  1901  to  1906.  In 
September,  1906,  the  present  pastor, 
Rev.  C.  R.  Davenport,  was  ap- 
pointed and  is  serving  his  eighth 
year,  the  longest  pastorate  ever  served  in  the  Toledo  District. 

In  1912  an  addition  to  the  church  for  Sunday  school  and  social 
work  was  built  at  a  cost  of  $4,000.  Both  a  vocation  and  a  piano 
have  been  purchased.  In  all  more  than  $6,000  have  been  added 
to  the  value  of  the  church  property  during  the  present  pastorate. 

The   Sunday   school   is   well   and    widely   known   as   the   Boyer 


REV.  CHARLES  R.  DAVENPORT, 
PASTOR. 


260  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

Sunday  school.  It  bears  the  name  of  Mr.  L.  D.  Boyer,  a  leading 
Sunday  school  worker  of  the  State,  who  was  its  superintendent 
for  thirty-seven  years. 

SYLVANIA  CHURCH. 

The  first  Quarterly  Conference  of  the  Sylvania  Charge  was 
held  February  8,  1837,  the  Rev.  Ira  Chase  preacher  in  charge  and 
the  Rev.  John  Janes  presiding  elder. 

During  the  seventy-six  years  of  the  history  of  the  Sylvania 
Church,  from  1837  to  1913,  it  has  been  served  by  forty-five  pastors 
and  has  been  the  head  of  a  circuit  for  nearly  all  these  years. 

The  church  building  was  erected  in  1862  at  a  cost  of  about 
$2,000.  During  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  J.  W.  Miller,  in  1902, 
the  church  building  was  remodeled  at  a  cost  of  $3,600.  It  now 
has  a  basement,  with  kitchen  and  dining  room,  some  separate  rooms 
for  prayer-meeting,  Epworth  League,  and  Sunday  school  purposes, 
and  a  very  comfortable  and  commodious  auditorium.  A  good,  com- 
fortable brick  parsonage  stands  beside  the  Church. 

The  following  pastors  have  served  the  charge:  Ira  Chase, 
Austin  Coleman,  John  Tibbal,  E.  R.  Hill,  S.  L.  Yourtee,  S.  H. 
Alderman,  T.  J.  Pope,  W.  M.  Thatcher,  J.  L.  Johnson,  Jason  Wil- 
cox,  A.  Foster,  John  Crabbs,  D.  W.  Ocker,  L.  D.  Rogers,  Ambrose 
Hollington  (who  was  the  first  pastor  after  the  organization  of  the 
Central  Ohio  Conference),  Henry  Warner,  E.  B.  Morrison,  H.  L. 
Nickerson,  S.  D.  Shaffer,  J.  R.  Colgan,  Martin  Perkey,  H.  Boyers, 
L.  D.  Rogers,  R.  H.  Chubb,  C.  G.  Ferris,  J.  S.  Kalb,  W.  S.  Lunt, 
John  Poucher,  B.  P.  Powell,  J.  Carter,  F.  Marriott,  Joseph  Wykes, 
John  Miller,  Ashford  Hall,  R.  E.  Woodruff,  A.  Hopkins,  R.  E. 
Carter,  R.  W.  Munson,  J.  C.  Sinclair,  E.  S.  Keller,  J.  W.  Miller, 
E.  D.  Keyes,  J.  A.  Steen,  H.  C.  Burger,  and  E.  T.  Dailey. 

During  this  time  the  list  of  presiding  elders  and  district  super- 
intendents serving  the  Maumee  and  Toledo  Districts  were  as  fol- 
lows :  John  Janes,  Wesley  Brock,  J.  T.  Kellam,  Thomas  Barkdull, 
G.  W.  Breckenridge,  William  Pierce,  David  Gray,  Joseph  Ayres, 
E.  C.  Gavitt,  Samuel  Lynch,  T.  H.  Wilson,  L.  A.  Belt,  P.  S. 
Donaldson,  W.  G.  Waters,  E.  D.  Whitlock,  P.  P.  Pope,  Adam  C. 
Barnes,  J.  L.  Albritton,  J.  M.  Avann,  W.  G.  Waters,  and  E.  O. 
Crist. 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        261 


UPPER  SANDUSKY  CHURCH. 

The  origin  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Upper  San- 
dusky  is  in  the  Wyandot  Mission.  This  was  probably  some  time 
after  the  stone  mission  church  was  built  in  1824. 

Before  the  Wyandots  left  in  1843  for  Kansas  a  class  of  white 
people  had  regularly  prayer  and  class  meeting  and  occasionally  a 
sermon  in  English  by  one  of  the  missionaries  and  by  a  visiting  pre- 
siding elder  or  bishop  or  some  other  ministers.  Sometimes  an 
English  hymn  was  sung  or  prayer  offered  in  the  Wyandot  services. 
For  several  years  before  the  Wyandots  left  the  missionaries  visited 
adjacent  settlements  and  organized  classes. 

The  white  members  in  the  mission  were  with  John  Stewart  from 
his  first  year  (1816)  and  con- 
tinued with  the  mission  with- 
out a  break  until  1843,  when 
the  Indians  left,  and  after  that 
their  society  was  the  head 
of  the  Wyandot  Circuit  until 
Upper  Sandusky  was  made  a 
station  during  the  year  1851. 
The  first  meeting  house  was  a 
log  one  built  in  1821  by  Dr. 
Charles  Elliott;  in  his  volume, 
"Indian  Reminiscences,"  he  de- 
scribes it. 

After  the  Wyandots  left,  the 
white  people  worshiped  in  the 
stone  mission  until  1850,  when 
they  built  a  frame  church  on 
the  east  part  of  the  site  where 
the  present  church  stands,  and 
where  it  remained  until  1859 

or  1860,  when  it  was  sold  and  taken  away.  In  1858  a  two-story 
brick  church  was  built,  under  the  pastorate  of  Thomas  J.  Monnett. 
At  the  time  it  was  the  largest  and  best  public  building  in  the  town. 
The  following  are  the  names  of  a  few  of  the  leading  members 
when  the  church  of  1858  was  built:  Henry  Peters,  Sr.,  G.  C. 


REV.  JOHN  W.  HOLLAND, 

Pastor  Upper  Sandusky  Church  for  eight  years. 


262 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


Worth,    Alexander    Kiskadden,    Hiram    Flack,    Billy    King,    John 
Stoker,  John  Ownes,  Rev.  Geo.  Bee,  and  Wesley  Hedges. 

The  present  handsome  church  stands  upon  the  site  of  this  church 
and  parsonage,  which  were  removed  in  1898,  during  the  pastorate  of 


GEN.  W.  H.  GIBSON, 

Converted  at  an  Indian  camp  meet- 
ing at  Upper  Sandusky  in  1837.  For 
many  years  a  leading  layman. 


MR.  HENRY  W.  PETERS. 


Rev.  John  C.  Shaw.     The  Church  secured  an  excellent  and  modern 
parsonage  while  Chas.  Bennett  was  pastor,  1902-05. 

At  a  Quarterly  Conference  held  February,  1899,  Dr.  Leroy 
A.  Belt,  presiding  elder,  and  Rev.  J.  C.  Shaw,  pastor,  steps  were 
taken  to  build  a  new  church.  In  the  following  April  the  amount 


TWO-STORY  BRICK  CHURCH,  UPPER  SANDUSKY.  O.     (Old  Church.) 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        263 

of  $10,000  in  money  and  subscriptions  was  secured.  The  Building 
Committee  was  composed  of  the  pastor,  J.  C.  Shaw;  Henry  W. 
Peters,  M.  H.  Brinkerhoff,  D.  C.  Parker,  William  Gregg,  Dr.  G.  O. 
Maskey.  Adam  Pontious,  D.  L.  Ingard,  and  W.  H.  Prater.  The 
cost  of  the  building  when  completed  was  about  $20,000.  Dr.  I.  B. 
Ives  preached  the  dedicatory  sermon,  and  all  indebtedness  was 
provided  for  by  good  subscriptions. 

From  1843,  when  the  Indians  left  for  Kansas,  the  pastors  that 
served  the  white  Church  after  that  to  1913  were:     Ralph  Wilcox, 


FIRST  CHURCH,  UPPER  SANDUSKY,  O.     (Present  Church.) 

C.  Switzer,  Leonard  Hill,  L.  M.  Pounds,  R.  S.  Kimber,  J.  Reese, 
S.  A.  Seigman,  L.  Ward,  E.  R.  Hill,  E.  Williams,  W.  Thatcher, 
N.  B.  Wilson,  J.  A.  Mudge,  John  Graham,  Jacob  Feighty,  Thomas 
J.  Monnett,  N.  B.  C.  Love,  Jacob  Burkholder,  L.  C.  Webster,  W. 
W.  Winter,  I.  N.  Smith,  J.  L.  Bates,  L.  M.  Albright,  John  Graham, 
T.  L.  Wiltsie,  J.  H.  Bethards,  John  Miller,  N.  B.  C.  Love,  G. 
Lease,  G.  B.  Wiltsie,  G.  Lease,  David  Bowers,  J.  C.  Shaw,  Charles 
Bennett,  and  J.  W.  Holland. 

The  presiding  elders  and  district  superintendents  from  183t> 
to  1913  were:  William  Runnels,  Hiram  M.  Shaffer,  E.  Raymond, 
Thomas  Barkdull,  Samuel  Lynch,  Wesley  J.  Wells,  J.  M.  Holmes, 
Elnp.than  C.  Gavitt,  Simeon  H.  Alderman,  D.  D.  Mathews,  David 
Rutledge,  Isaac  Newton,  Leroy  A.  Belt,  Loring  C.  Webster,  Adam 
C.  Barnes,  Lewis  M.  Albright,  J.  M.  Avann,  Leroy  A.  Belt,  James 
H.  Fitzwater,  William  McK.  Brackney,  and  Benjamin  F.  Reading. 


264 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


FIRST  CHURCH,  VAN  WERT. 

The  First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Van  Wert  was  or- 
ganized by  the  Rev.  Oliver  Kennedy  in  1839.  It  was  a  part  of 
the  Van  Wert  Circuit,  which  covered  the  territory  of  Van  Wert 


FIRST  CHURCH,  VAN  WERT. 

County  and  a  part  of  Mercer  County.     The  first  Methodist  Sunday 
school  in  Van  Wert  was  started  in  1844. 

The  first  church  building  was  erected  in  1845.  In  1855  Van 
Wert  was  made  a  station,  but  in  1858  Van  Wert  and  Delphos  were 
united  and  served  by  two  ministers.  In  1864  Van  Wert  was  again 
made  a  station. 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        265 

During  the  second  pastorate  of  Rev.  Oliver  Kennedy,  in  1876, 
the  first  steps  were  taken  looking  to  the  erection  of  the  present 
church.  The  corner-stone  was  laid  during  the  pastorate  of  the 
Rev.  Wm.  Jones.  The  men  who  made  the  church  possible  were 
J.  M.  C.  Marble,  J.  S.  Brumback,  and  Dr.  A.  N.  Krout.  The 
church  was  built  at  a  cost  of  about  $30,000  during  the  pastorate  of 
Rev.  I.  R.  Henderson. 

The  last  survivor  of  the  original  membership  of  the  Church  was 
W.  A.  Clark,  who  died  in  1912. 

Mrs.  A.  N.  Krout,  the  widow  of  Dr.  Krout,  died  in  1902,  leaving 
the  bulk  of  her  estate,  amounting  to  $12,000,  to  the  trustees  of  the 
First  Church.  To  this  sum  was  added  $9,000  by  the  membership 
of  the  Church  and  the  $21,000  was  expended  in  completing  an  ad- 
dition to  the  church  for  Sunday  school  purposes  and  to  make  the 
whole  church  plant  up-to-date  and  modern  in  every  way. 

The  present  church  property  almost  covers  two  city  lots,  66  x  132 
feet  each,  and  could  not  be  built  at  present  for  less  than  about 
$75,000.  The  present  plant  with  its  improvements  was  completed 
in  the  summer  of  1908,  during  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  M.  M. 
Figley,  and  was  used  that  fall  as  the  meeting  place  of  the  Central 
Ohio  Conference. 

The  First  Church  has  at  present  a  handsome,  well-equipped 
parsonage  worth  $6,500  and  a  Church  membership  of  about  1,400 
and  is  practically  out  of  debt.  The  Church  is  in  a  very  prosperous 
condition  under  the  leadership  of  its  present  pastor,  the  Rev.  Jesse 
Swank. 

VERSAILLES  CHURCH. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  organized  in  Versailles 
in  1847  by  the  Rev.  James  Barr,  who  was  the  first  Protestant  min- 
ister to  preach  in  a  Catholic  pulpit  in  Versailles  and,  it  is  suspected, 
the  last. 

The  services  at  first  were  held  in  a  log  church.  In  1852  Revs. 
Henry  Burns  and  N.  B.  C.  Love  preached  here. 

In  1858  a  frame  building  was  erected  on  the  site  of  the  present 
church  by  the  Rev.  H.  O.  Sheldon. 

In  1883  the  present  brick  church  was  built  under  the  pastorate 
of  the  Rev.  M.  M.  Markwith,  and  was  dedicated  by  the  Rev.  A.  B. 
Leonard,  D.  D.,  of  the  Cincinnati  Conference. 


266  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

The  charge  consists  at  present  of  Versailles,  Webster,  Dawn, 
and  Horatio.  Versailles  Church  has  been  from  the  time  of  its 
organization  the  head  of  a  circuit. 

The  names  of  the  following  persons  are  prominently  identified 
with  the  Church:  Henry  Burns,  John  Miller,  Wm.  Relleck,  James 
Medford,  Jacob  Miller,  Geo.  Hollis,  Godfrey  Leatherman  and  wife, 
Geo.  Turpin,  Elizabeth  Miller,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Isaac  Stoker,  John 
S.  Wade,  the  Rev.  Henry  Burns. 

The  following  ministers  have  served  the  circuit:  James  Barr, 
John  Graham,  Philip  Roseberry,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hudson,  Moses  B. 
Hebbard,  Wm.  Peck,  A.  J.  Frisbie,  Henry  Burns,  N.  B.  C.  Love, 
H.  O.  Sheldon,  John  T.  Bower,  Samuel  Boggs,  Henry  Boyers,  John 
S.  Kalb,  Jason  Young,  E.  C.  Longsworth,  John  L.  Bates,  John  C. 
Miller,  J.  A.  Smith,  Martin  Perkey,  Chas.  Farnsworth,  H.  S. 
Bradley,  R.  D.  Oldfield,  John  Ormerod,  Valentine  Staley,  B.  B. 
Powell,  Geo.  Matthews,  M.  M.  Markwith,  B.  W.  Day,  J.  F.  Harsh- 
barger,  C.  S.  Barren,  J.  A.  Lucy,  H.  B.  Swartz,  W.  S.  Culp,  C.  F. 
Gowdy,  M.  J.  Swearingen,  C.  M.  Baker,  Samuel  Given,  R.  J. 
Beard,  E.  D.  Keyes,  Robert  Kennedy,  S.  W.  Scott,  and  E.  T.  Dailey. 

WAPAKONETA  CHURCH. 

Soon  after  the  town  of  Wapakoneta  was  settled  the  Methodists 
organized  a  class  and  in  1834  erected  a  church. 

For  two  or  three  years,  commencing  with  the  year  1837,  this 
building  was  used  largely  for  school  purposes  and  as  a  courthouse, 
and  at  the  same  time  as  a  house  of  worship  by  the  Methodists  and 
other  denominations. 

The  persons  composing  the  membership  of  the  Church  were: 
James  Elliott  and  family,  Robert  McCullough  and  wife,  James 
Melrior  and  wife,  Abraham  Alspaugh  and  wife,  Martin  Bair,  and 
Mr.  Gray. 

The  first  church  erected  was  a  frame  building  on  Mechanic 
Street,  on  a  lot  donated  by  Mr.  Perriue,  of  Dayton,  Ohio. 

There  was  not  much  growth  in  the  Church  until  the  year  1861, 
when,  under  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  L.  A.  Belt,  a  revival  not  only 
greatly  strengthened  the  membership  but  led  to  the  erection  of  a 
new  church  at  a  cost  of  $1,700. 

At  first  this  society  was  associated  with  Celina,  Shane's  Cross- 
ing, Will  shire,  St.  Marys,  and  Ft.  Amanda.  The  following  min- 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.       267 

isters  served  the  Church  from  1833  to  1838:  John  Alexander, 
Philip  Wareham,  missionary,  and  L.  Guerney,  presiding  elder; 
John  O.  Conoway;  Isaac  Bennett  and  John  Stanley,  missionaries, 
and  Mr.  Janes,  presiding  elder;  and  then  George  Armstrong,  mis- 
sionary, and  Elmer  Yocum,  presiding  elder. 

At  that  date  the  society  was  a  mission  and  included  fifteen 
classes :  Van  Wert,  Wiltshire,  Strauesville,  Mercer,  Mendon,  Har- 
pus,  Bethel,  Eight  Mile,  Sugar  Ridge,  Tomlinson,  Spriggs,  Buck 
Creek,  Guilford,  St.  Marys,  and  Wapakoneta. 

In  1839  St.  Marys,  Ft.  Amanda,  and  Wapakoneta  were  trans- 
ferred to  the  Michigan  Conference,  and  Martin  Welsh  and  Liberty 
Prentice  were  the  missionaries  and  Elmer  Yocum  was  presiding 
elder. 

The  following  missionaries  were  the  pastors  of  Wapakoneta 
from  1840  to  1853:  N.  B.  Wambaugh,  W.  A.  Bacon,  Edward  Wil- 
liams and  James  McNabb,  Samuel  Beatty  and  Amos  Wilson,  Alex- 
ander Harmount  and  C.  A.  Owens,  John  R.  Jewett  and  James 
McBarr,  C.  B.  Brandebury  and  Elisha  Hook,  Samuel  Yourtee, 
Jacob  S.  Albright,  Wm.  Hadsen  and  R.  D.  Oldfield. 

About  the  year  1852-53  the  ministers  appointed  to  the  charge 
were  members  of  the  Conference  and  were  J.  F.  Burkholder,  Ger- 
shoni  Lease,  Nathan  S.  Moires,  Patrick  G.  Goode,  Harrison  Maltbie, 
F.  P.  Darling,  Richard  Lawrence,  L.  C.  Webster,  D.  D.  S.  Reagh, 
L.  A.  Belt,  Adam  C.  Barnes,  I.  N.  Kalb,  C.  H.  Zimmerman,  B.  F. 
Crozicr,  under  whom  a  fine  revival  was  had  and  the  membership 
considerably  increased.  In  1870  David  J.  Whiting  was  pastor,  then 
B.  J.  Hoadley,  Jesse  Carr,  Wesley  S.  Ray,  Ira  M.  Jameson,  Mr. 
Scott,  W.  J.  Hunter,  R.  R.  Bryan,  L.  H.  Lindsey,  M.  M.  Figley. 
In  1885  the  membership  numbered  eighty,  J.  H.  Cater,  pastor; 
D.  F.  Helms,  D.  R.  Cook,  W.  H.  Leatherman,  Chas.  W.  Taneyhill, 
J.  C.  Roberts,  during  whose  pastorate  a  new  brick  church  was  built 
and  the  membership  increased.  E.  S.  Keller  followed  J.  C.  Roberts, 
and  while  he  was  pastor  a  pipe  organ  was  installed  and  the  par- 
sonage remodeled.  E.  A.  Strother  is  the  present  pastor  and  the 
membership  of  the  Church  is  395,  and  of  the  Sunday  school,  450. 

WAUSEON  CHURCH. 

When  the  first  settlers  came  to  the  vicinity  of  what  is  now 
Wauseon  they  brought  their  religion  along  with  them.  Among 


268 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


them,  from  1837  on,  were  Methodists.  Rev.  Charles  Babcock,  of 
Waterville  Circuit,  coining  in  1838,  was  the  first  preacher.  Their 
numbers  increased  as  the  years  passed,  the  services  being  held  at 
first  in  the  log  cabins  and  then,  when  more  room  was  needed,  in 
the  log  schoolhouses  and  barns  of  the  farmers.  Many  were  the 
showers  of  grace  rejoiced  in  by  these  simple-hearted  people  as 
they  worshiped  the  God  of  their  fathers  under  these  circumstances, 
when  all  were  common  people  living  in  the  country,  there  being 
no  village  nearer  than  seven  or  eight  miles. 

Doubtless  the  first  Methodist  preacher  in  that  vicinity  was 
Rev.  Uriah  Spencer,  who  settled  a  few  miles  east  of  Wauseon  in 
1835  or  1836.  He  had  to  give  up  the  regular  ministry  on  account 
of  throat  trouble  and  came  here  and  settled  in  the  woods  and 
preached  occasionally.  About  1840  he  was  elected  auditor  of  Lucas 
County,  which  included  all  this  territory  then. 

The  pastors  who  have  served  the  Church  here  since  1838  are 
as  follows:  Charles  Babcock,  Alexander  Campbell,  Liberty  Pren- 
tiss,  J.  W.  Brakefield,  Hatch  and  Thomas,  Wm.  Thatcher  and 
Mower,  Octavius  Waters,  J.  M.  Wilcox  and  Henry  Warner,  John 

Crabbs  and  Thompson,  Ambrose 
Hollington  and  John  Fraunfelter, 
Martin  Perkey,  W.  W.  Winters  and 

D.  D.  S.  Reagh,  A.  B.  Poe  and  P. 
Slevin. 

In  1860  a  parsonage  was  built 
in  Wauseon  and  it  became  a  station. 
The  station  preachers  at  Wauseon 
have  been  as  follows:  Lewis  J. 
Dales,  F.  L.  Harper,  P.  R.  Hender- 
son, A.  M.  Corey,  Benjamin  Her- 
bert, J.  R.  Colgan,  C.  G.  Ferris, 

E.  A.  Berry,  N.  B.  C.  Love,  John 
Wilson,  G.  H.  Priddy,  E.   S.  Dun- 
ham, J.  D.  Simms,  J.  H.  Fitzwater, 

J.  W.  Donnan,  D.  F.  Helms,  A.  B.  Leonard,  M.  D.  Baumgardner, 
W.  E.  Hill,  William  McK.  Brackney,  F.  E.  Higbie,  W.  W.  Lance, 
Daniel  Carter,  and  C.  W.  Hoffman.  There  were  many  gracious 
revivals  during  these  years,  the  most  noted  of  which  were  in  the 
winter  of  1857-58,  by  W.  W.  Winters;  1886-87,  by  J.  H.  Fitzwater; 


REV.  CHARLES  W.  HOFFMAN, 
PASTOR. 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.       269 

1889-90,  by  J.  W.  Donnan,  and  the  spring  of  1912,  the  splendid 
Honeywell  Tabernacle  meeting,  which  greatly  strengthened  the 
Church. 

Among  the  earlier  officials  of  the  Church  were  these:  James 
Pease,  John  Linfoot,  Wm.  Mikesell,  Wm.  Bayes,  Thomas  Bayes, 
and,  after  1865,  Daniel  Ritzenthaler.  Brother  Ritzenthaler  has 


WAUSEON  CHURCH. 

been  on  the  Official  Board  during  the  last  forty  years  or  more  and 
is  still  (1914)  living. 

The  first  church  building  in  Wauseon  was  the  Methodist,  and 
was  started  in  1855,  when  the  town  was  one  year  old,  and  fin- 
ished and  dedicated  in  1857  by  Rev.  Thomas  Barkdull,  a  presiding 
elder  of  the  early  days.  This  was  a  frame  building  and  cost  about 
$1,300,  and  served  the  congregation  till  1874,  when  the  present 
two-story  brick  building  was  begun.  This  was  to  cost  $15,000,  but 
cost  $20,000  or  more.  The  building  was  finished  and  dedicated  in 
August  or  September,  1875.  It  was  repaired  and  added  to  in  1913 
at  a  cost  of  nearly  $3,500. 


270  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

A  parsonage  was  built  in  I860,  on  the  same  lot  with  the  church, 
and  was  used  till  1874,  when  it  was  sold  and  the  new  church  placed 
on  part  of  the  same  ground  it  had  occupied.  Then  till  1903  there 
was  no  residence  for  the  pastors.  In  1903  a  house  and  lot  were 
bought  for  $2,000,  and  this  has  been  used  ever  since  as  a  parsonage. 

During  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  C.  W.  Hoffman,  the  present 
pastor,  the  Sunday  school  has  nearly  doubled  in  size,  the  Epworth 
League  greatly  increased  in  size,  and  225  new  members  have  been 
added  to  the  Church,  and  material  improvements  made  to  the  extent 
of  nearly  $4,000  and  the  pastor's  salary  has  been  increased  $200. 
This  makes  Wauseon  a  fine,  strong  county-seat  Church. 

WATERVILLE  CHURCH. 

The  location  of  Waterville  gave  it  the  advantages  and  facilities 
of  water  power,  which  was  used  at  an  early  day  for  mill  purposes. 
The  families  settling  in  and  about  the  village  were  intelligent,  and 
some  of  them  well-to-do.  The  scenery  above  and  below  the  town 
is  picturesque.  The  foot  of  the  rapids  is  at  Maumee  and  Fort  Meigs, 
and  the  head  at  Grand  Rapids,  a  village  eighteen  miles  above 
Maumee. 

In  1834  a  Methodist  class  was  formed,  Elam  Day  being  pastor, 
and  the  persons  composing  it  were:  Jane  Adams,  Thomas  Gleason 
and  wife,  Harriet  Farnsworth,  Hannah 
Cross,  John  Hoag,  Elisha  Hanson,  Sarah 
Bailey,  Whitcomb  Haskins,  John  Pray  and 
wife,  and  a  little  later  Catherine  Showwater 
and  husband.  The  Quarterly  Conference 
records  from  1836  to  1848  state  that  the 
Waterville  Circuit  was  large,  including  most 
of  the  territory,  excepting  Perrysburg,  in  the 
Maumee  Valley  and  embracing  appointments 
in  Wood,  Lucas,  Henry,  and  Fulton  Counties. 

It  was  a  large  and  representative  circuit,  and 
REV.  CHARLES  W. 

JAMESON  PASTOR          ou*   °*    ^   were    formed   many    other   circuits 

since  1840. 

The  Maumee  Society  was  formed  about  the  same  time,  and  for 
many  years  it  was  associated  with  Waterville  Circuit. 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        271 

The  records  of  this  circuit  were  secured  by  Dr.  Love  from  the 
Rev.  John  A.  Shannon,  a  preacher  in  the  Maumee  Valley  at  an 
early  day,  to  whom  they  were  intrusted  for  safekeeping  and  to  be 
finally  placed  with  some  Methodist  historical  society. 

The  records  were  in  the  handwriting  of  D.  Ramsay,  the  record- 
ing steward  of  the  circuit,  and  were  designated  as  the  "Records  of 
Waterville  Mission,  Maumee  District,  Michigan  Conference." 

The  original  minutes  are  in  the  handwriting  of  the  Rev.  John 
Janes,  presiding  elder,  with  the  name  of  Wesley  Shortis  signed 
as  secretary. 

The  presiding  elder,  John  Janes ;  Alanson  Fleming  and  Wesley 
Shortis,  missionaries,  and  John  Stewart,  a  steward,  were  all  the 
persons  present  at  the  third  Quarterly  Conference. 

At  the  fourth  Quarterly  Conference  in  1837,  of  the  nineteen 
official  members  on  the  circuit  there  were  present  Urial  Spencer, 
local  preacher;  Leonard  Pierce  and  Henry  Warner,  exhorters; 
Lewis  Ramsey,  steward ;  John  Wood  and  Thomas  Gleason,  class 
leaders,  whose  characters  were  passed,  and  the  licenses  of  Thomas 
Pray  and  Henry  Warner  were  renewed. 

The  presiding  elder  was  given  a  missionary  appropriation  of 
$50,  and  Fleming  and  Shortis  $25  each;  Janes  received  as  quarter- 
age for  the  year  $29,  and  $7  for  traveling  expenses ;  Fleming  re- 
ceived as  quarterage  $88,  traveling  expenses,  $13 — together,  $101 ; 
Shortis  fared  a  little  better,  his  allowance  exceeding  this  by  a  few 
dollars ;  and  at  that  time  this  was  the  best  paying  circuit  in  the 
Maumee  District. 

Early  the  next  year  Wesley  Shortis  sickened  and  died  and  was 
buried  near  Springfield,  a  small  village  a  mile  from  Holland.  His 
death  caused  widespread  sorrow  throughout  the  circuit  and  called 
forth  resolutions  expressing  deep  sympathy  with  the  mission,  but 
failing  to  say  anything  about  his  relatives. 

At  a  quarterly  meeting  in  the  year  1838  Henry  Warner  was 
licensed  to  preach.  He  was  for  many  years  a  member  of  the  Cen- 
tral Ohio  Conference  and  for  twenty  years  a  resident  of  Perrys- 
burg,  where  he  died  and  was  buried. 

The  first  Quarterly  Conference  of  1838  a  course  of  study  for 
local  preachers  was  adopted  comprising  English  grammar,  rhetoric, 
history,  geography,  arithmetic,  and  general  ecclesiastical  history. 


272  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

(There  seems  to  have  been  but  little  if  any  immediate  necessity 
for  arithmetic,  since  there  was  not  much  to  count  up.) 

The  fourth  quarterly  meeting  was  held  in  the  barn  of  Elisha 
Trobridge,  near  Delta,  and  the  one  following  in  a  schoolhouse  near 
Samuel  Barrett's  in  the  neighborhood  not  far  from  Waterville. 

Up  to  the  last  of  the  year  1840  there  was  no  church  building 
or  parsonage  at  Waterville,  and  no  Sunday  school  on  the  circuit 
under  the  control  of  the  Methodist  Church,  but  soon  thereafter  a 
church  and  parsonage  were  built.  The  church  was  begun  in  1841 
and  finished  in  1844  or  1845. 

In  1884  the  total  receipts  for  ministerial  support  were  a  little 
over  $30,  the  presiding  elder,  the  Rev.  J.  A.  Kellam,  receiving 
$7.50,  and  the  pastor,  the  Rev.  H.  K.  Bain,  $25. 

In  1846  the  treasury  was  as  lean  as  ever.  The  Rev.  Thomas 
Barkdull  was  presiding  elder;  Wm.  Thatcher,  senior,  and  Samuel 
Mower,  junior  preacher.  Strange  as  it  sounds,  the  Church  at 
Waterville,  having  an  indebtedness  of  $460,  decided  to  rent  the 
pews  in  order  to  pay  it  off. 

Out  of  this  old  Waterville  Circuit  has  grown  prosperous  stations 
and  circuits  in  Wood,  Fulton,  Lucas,  and  Henry  Counties. 

Within  the  winter  of  1912-13  Waterville,  under  a  great  re- 
ligious awakening,  received  over  one  hundred  persons  into  the 
Church,  and  as  one  of  the  lasting  results  the  society  is  erecting  a 
new  church  edifice,  to  cost  between  $15,000  and  $20,000. 

WHITE  HOUSE  CHURCH. 

The  society  at  White  House  was  formed  March  8,  1866,  by  the 
Rev.  Benjamin  Herbert,  in  compliance  with  the  request  of  a  number 
of  the  members  and  other  friends  living  at  White  House. 

This  society  is  attached  to  the  Waterville  Charge.  A  new  lot 
was  purchased  in  1913.  The  church  was  moved  to  the  new  lot 
and  remodeled  in  1914,  giving  a  basement  and  an  addition  for 
Sunday  school  purposes.  Rev.  Charles  W.  Jameson  is  the  present 
pastor. 

WEST  MANSFIELD  CHURCH. 

The  West  Mansfield  society  was  organized  about  the  year  1830 
with  the  following  members  and  perhaps  others:  Benjamin  Lane 
and  wife,  John  McDonald  and  wife,  Abraham  Branson  and  wife, 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        273 


REV.  CLARE  B.  HEISTAND, 
PASTOR. 


Isaac  Mattox  and  wife,  Alva  Chase  and 
wife,  Joseph  Hanes  and  wife,  James  R. 
and  Louisa  Curl,  and  Incease  Southard, 
a  famous  singer  at  camp-meetings  and 
revival  services.  Benjamin  Lane  was  a 
local  preacher,  and  John  McDonald  was 
the  first  class  leader.. 

Soon  after  the  class  was  organized 
the  first  house  of  worship  was  erected 
one-half  mile  south  of  West  Mansfield, 
on  the  farm  which  was  then  owned  by 
Benjamin  Lane,  but  now  known  as  the 
Dr.  J.  R.  Skidmore  farm.  This  first 
church  was  called  Lane  Chapel.  It  was 
of  primitive  style  and  was  built  of  hewed  logs.  In  1853  Nation 
Chapel,  or  the  Old  Brick  Church,  was  built  near  the  cemetery,  one 
mile  east  of  West  Mansfield.  This  house  was  forty  feet  long  and 
thirty  feet  wide.  Philip  Nation,  the  pastor,  who  superintended  the 
building,  dedicated  it  to  the  worship  of  God.  In  a  few  years  this 
building  was  considered  unsafe.  In  the  winter  of  1866-67  it  was 
condemned.  At  that  time  an  excellent  revival  was  in  progress  with 
Rev.  Dean  and  Rev.  Edward  McHugh  in  charge.  The  services 
were  transferred  to  the  United  Brethren  Church,  West  Mansfield, 
where  the  revival  continued.  It  was  thought  best  to  rebuild  in 
West  Mansfield.  The  present  site  on  which  this  new  building  is 
erected  was  purchased  by  the  trustees  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  of  the  Frederick  Keller  heirs.  In  1867  a  new  and  com- 
modious frame  building  was  begun.  In  1868  it  was  completed  and 
dedicated  by  Bishop  Davis  W.  Clark;  Rev.  Dean  and  Rev.  Edward 
McHugh  were  still  the  pastors  in  charge. 

In  1886,  during  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  J.  C.  Boltoii,  this 
structure  was  remodeled  and  enlarged  at  the  expense  of  $1,500. 
The  reopening  services  were  conducted  by  Dr.  C.  H.  Payne,  presi- 
dent of  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University.  During  April  and  May 
1912,  this  frame  building  was  razed  to  the  ground  preparatory 
to  the  construction  of  the  beautiful  and  commodious  brick  structure, 
the  corner-stone  of  which  was  laid  June  6,  1912. 

In  its  early  history  West  Mansfield  was  a  part  of  the  North 
Lewifburg  Circuit,  Urbana  District,  Cincinnati  Conference. 

18 


274  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

In  the  fall  of  1870  the  East  Liberty  Circuit  was  formed  and 
consisted  of  East  Liberty,  Mt.  Moriah.  The  Annual  Conference 
made  an  allowance  of  $100  for  pastoral  support. 

The  names  of  the  pastors  since  1861  are:  W.  N.  Williams, 
D.  H.  Sargeant,  Wm.  B.  Jackson,  T.  E.  Fidler,  Wesley  Webster, 
Jonathan  Verity.  J.  C.  Dean,  Edward  McHugh,  H.  M.  Curry, 
John  Shinn,  C.  J.  Evans,  J.  F.  Hull,  E.  P.  James,  W.  H.  H.  Smith, 
W.  B.  Jackson,  C.  J.  Wells,  S.  W.  Carey,  J.  R.  Hunter,  J.  C.  Bolton. 

In  the  fall  of  1886  East  Liberty  Circuit  was  transferred  from 
Springfield  District,  Cincinnati  Conference,  to  Delaware  District, 
Central  Ohio  Conference. 

Ashford  Hall  was  pastor  in  1887-88;  B.  B.  Powell  in  1888-90; 
WT.  M.  Craig  in  1890-91 ;  Jacob  Baumgardner  in  1891-94,  and  C.  S. 
Barron  in  1894-96. 

During  the  pastorate  of  Brother  Barron,  East  Liberty  Charge 
was  divided  and  West  Mansfield  and  North  Greenfield  became  a 
charge.  A  parsonage  was  built  in  1895.  October  30,  1910,  West 
Mansfield  was  made  a  station,  North  Greenfield  being  placed  with 
East  Liberty. 

February  18,  1912,  subscriptions  for  a  new  church  had  reached 
$12,000  and  in  the  same  month  the  contract  was  let  to  Mr.  L.  E. 
Woodworth,  Bellevue,  Ohio,  to  erect  a  large  and  commodious  edifice. 
June  6,  1912,  the  corner-stone  of  the  new  church  was  laid  by  the 
Rev.  Wm.  McK.  Brackney,  D.  D.,  superintendent  of  Delaware 
District.  The  church  was  built  at  a  cost  of  $18,000,  and  on  April 
13,  1913,  it  was  dedicated  by  the  Rev.  W.  D.  Parr,  D.  D.,  of 
Kokomo,  Ind.,  assisted  by  the  Rev.  B.  F.  Reading,  D.  D.,  district 
superintendent  of  the  Delaware  District. 

Since  the  year  1896  Chas.  Bennett,  M.  D.  Scott,  Chas.  W. 
Hoffman,  D.  C.  Yoder,  J.  J.  Richards,  G.  C.  Mosher,  and  C.  B. 
Heistand  have  been  the  pastors. 

WESTON  CHURCH. 

The  first  regular  services  conducted  by  Methodist  ministers  in 
Weston  were  held  in  1861.  In  that  year  Rev.  John  Shannon,  as 
senior,  and  Rev.  Thomas  N.  Barkdull,  as  junior  pastor,  were  sent 
to  what  was  then  called  Bowling  Green  and  Gilead  (now  Grand 
Rapids)  Circuit.  They  added  Weston  and  Tontogany  and  some 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        275 

other  places  to  the  list  of  appointments.  They  held  meetings  in 
Weston  for  some  six  weeks.  The  following  persons  were  converted 
in  those  meetings:  Matilda  and  Mrs.  Hannah  Clark,  Emmeline 
and  Anna  Clark,  Mrs.  Margaret  Taylor, 
Martha  and  Harriet  M.  Taylor,  Marie 
Thompson,  Marie  Healy,  Byron  B.  Baldwin, 
Edward  Baldwin,  George  Smith,  and  Miles 
Montross. 

Three  of  these  four  men  converted  at  this 
time  lost  their  lives  soon  afterward  in  the 
Civil  War.  Edward  Baldwin  was  the  only 
male  member  of  the  Church  left  in  Weston. 
He  was  class  leader  and  steward  and  had  to 
look  after  all  the  interests  of  the  Church.  REV.  E.  L.  MOTTEH, 
He  carried  wood,  built  fires,  rang  the  bell  in  PASTOR. 

the  little  schoolhouse  where  the  congregation  worshiped.  He  and 
a  few  good  women  kept  up  the  prayer-meetings  on  Thursday  nights 
for  nearly  two  years. 

During  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  George  Mather  the  following  per- 
sons were  added  to  the  Church :  John  Stage,  Cynthia  Stage,  Mary 
Osterhout,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Woodesy,  Amy  Filo,  H.  R.  Atkins,  Eliza- 
beth Atkins,  J.  E.  Clark,  Thomas  Taylor,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Simmons, 
Mary  Morehouse,  and  Nancy  Phenix. 

About  this  time  a  Rev.  Mr.  Baldwin,  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
came  to  Weston  and  organized  a  society.  The  Presbyterians  and 
Methodists  together  built  a  little  wood  church  by  the  help  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  Extension  Society,  which  furnished  $300,  and 
this  gave  the  Presbyterians  the  ownership  of  the  building.  Both 
societies  used  the  church  together  in  perfect  harmony  until  1870, 
when  the  Methodists  went  to  themselves,  moving  into  the  first 
Methodist  church  in  Weston  during  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  John 
Graham. 

The  next  pastor  was  Rev.  Adam  C.  Barnes,  who  served  the 
Church  three  years  very  successfully.  He  was  followed  by  Rev. 
Peter  Biggs,  who  was  very  successful  in  winning  converts,  receiving 
seventy-two  heads  of  families  into  the  Church,  besides  many  young 
people. 

The  present  beautiful  brick  church  was  begun  under  the  pas- 
torate of  Rev.  Jacob  Baumgardner,  who  solicited  the  larger  part 


276 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


of  the  money  for  the  building.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  J.  C. 
Shaw,  during  whose  pastorate  the  church  was  finished  in  1896. 

The  Church  has  been  served  by  the  following  faithful  pastors: 
Thomas  N.  Barkdull,  John  Shannon,  George  Mather,  John  Farley, 
John  Graham,  A.  C.  Barnes,  Peter  Biggs,  Young,  Spencer,  Duvall, 
Bates,  Farris,  Long,  Ballmer,  Jacob  Baumgardner,  J.  C.  Shaw, 
Miller,  Lounsberry,  George  Matthews,  W.  N.  Shank,  D.  C.  Yoder, 
and  E.  L.  Motter,  who  is  the  present  pastor. 

This  Church  is  now  a  very  strong,  vigorous  organization  with 


WESTON  CHUKCH. 


a  large  and  growing  Sunday  school  and  congregation.  During  the 
last  year  Rev.  Motter  has  received  nearly  one  hundred  members 
into  the  Church. 

A  movement  is  now  on  for  the  building  of  a  new  parsonage, 
which  will  make  this  a  very  complete  church  plant. 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        277 

WILLIAM  STREET  CHURCH,  DELAWARE. 

William  Street  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  the  first  of 
this  denomination  organized  in  the  city. 

Methodism  in  Delaware  is  the  outgrowth  of  more  than  eight 
decades.  It  was  planted  in  the  providence  of  God  sometime  in 
the  year  1819  by  the  Rev.  Jacob  Hooper,  of  Hocking  Circuit,  Scioto 
District,  Ohio  Conference.  The  way  had  been  opened  for  him  by 
the  earnest  prayers  and  the  good  words  of  a  few  godly  persons 
who  had  emigrated  to  Delaware  County  at  an  early  date  in  the 
history  of  Ohio. 

From  data  as  reliable  as  can  be  obtained  we  learn  that  a  class  of 
seventeen  members  was  organized  in  that  year,  composed  of  the  fol- 
lowing persons :  Abraham  Williams  and  wife,  James  Osborne  and 
wife,  John  G.  DeWitt  and  wife,  Thomas  Gallihen  and  wife,  William 
Sweetser  and  wife,  Ebenezer  Durfee,  Pardon  Sprague,  Franklin 
Spaulding  and  wife,  Stephen  Gorman,  William  Patton,  Moses 
Byxbe,  and  possibly  others.  Mrs.  Spaulding,  who  has  been  dead 
many  years,  was  the  last  survivor  of  the  class. 

From  the  commencement  of  the  society  until  1822  the  residence 
of  Moses  Byxbe  and  the  county  courthouse  were  the  Methodist 
headquarters.  At  this  time,  under  a  second  pastorate  of  Jacob 
Hooper,  the  society  decided  to  build  a  house  of  worship  and  ap- 
pointed Stephen  Goram,  William  Patton,  Moses  Byxbe,  Thomas 
Gallihen,  Moses  Byxbe,  Jr.,  Elijah  Adams,  Robert  Perry,  William 
Sweetser,  and  Henry  Perry  trustees. 

An  eligible  lot  on  the  northwest  corner  of  William  and  Franklin 
Streets  was  given  to  the  society  by  Moses  Byxbe,  one  of  the  pro- 
prietors of  the  town  of  Delaware,  and  on  this  lot  a  church  was 
erected. 

The  edifice  was  a  plain,  square  structure  provided  with  galleries 
on  the  east,  south,  and  west  sides,  and  two  rows  of  windows,  one 
above  and  the  other  below,  which  gave  it  the  appearance  of  a  two- 
story  building.  The  auditorium  was  entered  from  the  south.  At 
the  north  end  was  an  elevated,  box-like  pulpit,  which  was  reached 
from  either  side  by  eight  steps,  and  when  ascended,  gave  the 
preacher  full  view  of  his  entire  congregation,  above  and  below. 

The  actual  cost  of  this  first  Methodist  "meeting  house"  in  Dela- 
ware is  not  known,  as  very  many  of  the  subscriptions  were  made 


278  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

in  materials  and  labor,  but  from  the  oldest  records  accessible  the 
approximate  money  cost  was  little  more  than  $870. 

Although  begun  in  1822,  the  building  was  not  completed  until 
sometime  in  the  year  1821,  when,  with  Thomas  McCleary  as 
preacher,  it  was  dedicated  under  the  name  of  the  "William  Street 
Church"  by  Jacob  Young,  presiding  elder  of  the  Scioto  District, 
Ohio  Conference.  This  building  was  the  place  of  worship  for  the 
Methodists  of  Delaware  until  the  year  1845,  when,  by  reason  of 
a  rapidly  increasing  membership  and  the  establishment  of  the  Ohio 
Wesleyan  University,  the  demands  were  such  as  to  necessitate  a 
larger  and  more  becoming  church  edifice;  and  accordingly,  under 
the  active  and  successful  leadership  of  the  pastor,  Henry  E.  Pilcher, 
measures  were  adopted  to  erect  early  in  the  Conference  year  of 
1845-46  a  "new  house  of  worship." 

Relating  to   this   project,  the   following  records   are   at   hand: 

"The  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  met 
at  the  parsonage  in  Delaware,  Ohio,  October  10,  1845,  Henry  E. 
Pilcher  in  the  chair.  Members  present:  Benj.  F.  Allen,  Augustus 
A.  Welch,  Abraham  Williams,  and  Franklin  Spaulding. 

"The  following  resolutions  were  passed: 

"First,  That  it  is  the  sense  of  the  trustees  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  in  Delaware,  Ohio,  that  it  is  expedient  to  erect  a  new 
house  of  worship. 

"Second,  That  a  subscription  be  opened,  and  that  we  use  our 
best  efforts  to  raise  the  necessary  amount  to  build  the  church. 

"Third,  That  Henry  E.  Pilcher,  Benj.  F.  Allen,  and  John  H. 
Power  be  a  committee  to  circulate  said  subscription. — Henry  E. 
Pilcher,  Chairman." 

Within  a  month  or  two  subscriptions  to  the  amount  of  about 
$3,000  were  secured  and  made  payable  to  Abraham  Williams, 
Wilder  Joy,  John  Ross,  Franklin  Spaulding,  Mathias  Kinsee,  Au- 
gustus A.  Welch,  and  Benj.  F.  Allen,  trustees  of  the  Church. 

On  December  13,  1845,  at  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Trustees, 
a  committee,  consisting  of  Augustus  A.  Welch,  John  Walfley,  and 
Henry  E.  Pilcher,  was  appointed,  with  authority  to  dispose  of  the 
old  church  property,  which  was  still  occupied  by  the  congregation; 
and  at  a  meeting  of  the  Board  on  December  29,  1845,  when  Frank- 
lin Spaulding,  Wilder  Joy,  John  Ross,  Nathan  Chester,  John 
Wolfley,  and  Augustus  Welch  were  present,  the  report  from  the 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        279 

committee  was  that  they  had  sold  the  church  building  for  a  school- 
house  for  the  sum  of  $1,100,  possession  to  be  given  July,  1846. 
The  building,  after  being  used  for  ten  years  as  a  schoolhouse, 
was  sold  to  the  City  Council  for  corporation  purposes.  It  is  now 
displaced  with  beautiful  residences. 


WILLIAM  STREET  CHURCH,  DELAWARE,  O. 

The  trustees  secured  the  lot  where  the  church  and  parsonage 
now  stand,  on  the  northeast  corner  of  William  and  Franklin  Streets, 
paying  Mrs.  Rutherford  Hayes  $1,900  for  it. 

On  May  6,  1846,  a  sufficient  subscription  having  been  secured, 
the  Building  Committee  let  the  contract  for  the  erection  of  a  church 
to  Wm.  Owston.  The  building  was  to  be  a  plain  church,  50  x  80 


280  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

feet  and  two  stories  high,  with  a  vestibule  at  the  front  above  and 
below;  the  audience  room  was  to  have  a  gallery  to  cross  the  front 
end,  and  the  building  to  furnish  sittings  for  about  six  hundred  per- 
sons, and  the  seats  and  other  woodwork  were  to  be  of  black  walnnt. 
The  church  was  not  finished  until  the  summer  of  1847;  two  addi- 
tional subscriptions  had  to  be  taken  within  the  year  to  carry  on  and 
complete  the  work. 

This  edifice  for  the  times  in  which  it  was  built  was  large  and 
beautiful,  the  cost  of  it  being  $5,600. 

The  church  was  dedicated  August  3,  1847,  by  Bishop  Edmund  S. 
Janes,  assisted  by  the  Rev.  Thomas  E.  Bond,  editor  of  the  Christian 
Advocate,  New  York. 

The  lot  purchased  was  sufficiently  large  for  both  the  church  and 
parsonage. 

An  old  residence,  said  to  have  been  the  oldest  brick  building  in 
the  town,  stood  at  the  corner  of  the  streets.  This  house  was  con- 
verted into  a  parsonage,  and  was  occupied  by  the  pastors  until 
1861,  when  the  Rev.  Thomas  Parker  toward  the  close  of  his  pas- 
torate had  it  replaced  by  the  present  convenient  and  comfortable 
building.  The  cost  of  this  house,  about  $3,500,  was  all  secured  in 
good  notes  in  advance.  And  such  is  the  history  of  William  Street 
in  church  building  until  1885. 

The  two  churches  described  have  been  the  scene  of  great  and 
memorable  gatherings  and  events.  The  revivals  in  this  Church  were 
Pentecostal  in  power  and  far-reaching  in  effect.  Of  the  Churches 
it  may  be  said,  as  it  was  said  of  Zion  by  the  psalmist,  "The  Lord 
shall  count  when  He  cometh  to  write  up  the  people  that  this  man 
was  born  there,"  and  this  man  in  the  case  of  William  Street  is  to 
be  found  in  almost  every  quarter  of  the  globe,  for  all  through  our 
land,  filling  posts  of  honor  and  positions  of  great  usefulness,  are 
men  and  women  who  began  the  Christian  life  members  of  William 
Street. 

In  the  year  18W,  during  the  pastorate  of  Dr.  W.  G.  Waters, 
steps  were  taken  to  build  a  new  church  edifice;  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing year  the  old  stone  church  was  taken  down,  the  parsonage 
moved  back,  and  a  fine  modern  building  was  erected  at  a  cost  of 
some  $60,000. 

The  church  was  dedicated  by  Dr.  C.  C.  McCabe  and  President 
Chas.  H.  Payne,  D.  D.,  some  $17,000  being  raised  at  the  time. 


History  of  Churches — Alphabetically  Arranged.        281 


William  Street  has  been  the  center  and  mother  of  Methodism 
in  Delaware. 

In  the  year  1852  she  gave  South  Delaware  the  St.  Paul's  Church. 
In  1860,  Grace  Church,  on  the  East  Side,  and  in  1886  there  went 
out  one  hundred  of  her  children  to  establish  Asbury. 

William  Street  has  a  varied  history  in  her  Conference  relations. 
From  the  date  of  the  Church's  organization  to  1840  in  the  Ohio 
Conference,  then  in  the  North  Ohio  until  1856,  and  since  that  year 
in  the  Central  Ohio  Conference,  where  the  Church  remained  until 
the  Cincinnati  and  the  Central  Ohio  Conferences  became  the  West 
Ohio. 

From  the  establishment  of  the  Church,  when  the  membership 
was  about  a  score  of  persons,  until  1821-22  it  was  a  preaching 
place  on  the  Hocking  Circuit;  from  that  time  until  the  year  1840- 
41  it  was  the  head  of  Delaware  Circuit.  It  had  by  that  time  reached 
a  membership  of  29(>. 

At  the  Conference  of  1841  it  was  made  a  station,  with  Adam 
Poe  as  pastor.  The  appointments  to  William  Street,  allowing  that 
name  to  embrace  its  entire  history,  have  been: 

1818,  Jacob  Hooper;  1819,  Andrew  Kinnear;  1820,  James  Mur- 
ray; 1821,  Jacob  Hooper;  1822,  Thomas  McCleary;  1823,  Thomas 
McCleary  and  James  Roe;  1824,  Jacob  Dixon;  1825,  James  Gil- 
ruth;  1826,  Abner  Goff ;  1827,  James  Gilruth  and  Cyrus  Carpenter; 
1828,  James  Gilruth  and  William  Runnells;  1829,  David  Lewis  and 
Samuel  P.  Shaw;  1830,  Samuel  P.  Shaw  and  Alfred  M.  Lorain; 
1831,  Lorain  and  David  Cadwallader;  1832,  Charles  Goddard  and 
J.  M.  McDowell;  1833,  Leonard  B.  Gurley  and  John  C.  Havens; 
1834,  Havens  and  Robert  Doughty;  1835,  Joseph  B.  Austin  and 
Wm.  Morrow;  1836,  Austin  and  Nathan  Emery;  1837,  John  Alex- 
ander and  Ebenezer  L.  Webster;  1838,  Win.  S.  Morrow  and  Jos.  W. 
White;  1839,  Morrow  and  John  Blanpied;  1840-41,  Adam  Poe; 
1842-46,  Henry  E.  Pilcher;  1847,  Cyrus  Sawyer;  1848,  E.  Yocum; 
1849.  Horatio  S.  Bradley;  1850-51,  Lorenzo  Warner;  1852,  Joseph 
Ayres:  1853,  Chas.  Hartley;  1854-55,  Leonard  B.  Gurley;  1856-57, 
Alexander  Nelson;  1858-59,  James  M.  Morrow;  1860-61,  Thomas 
Parker;  1862,  Loring  C.  Webster;  1863-65,  Alexander  Nelson; 
1866-69,  Wesley  G.  Waters;  1869,  to  fill  out  the  year,  Park  S. 
Donelson;  1869-70,  D.  D.  Walker;  1871-72,  Franklin  Marriott; 
1873-75,  Russel  B.  Pope;  1876-77,  Isaac  Newton;  1878-81,  E.  D. 


282  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


Whitlock;  1881-82,  Jos.  H.  Bethards;  1883-86,  Wesley  G.  Waters; 
1886-87,  W.  J.  Hodges;  1887-90,  Duston  Kemble;  1890-95,  F.  I.. 
Wharton;  1895-97,  C.  R.  Havighurst;  1897-1903,  H.  C.  Jameson; 
1903-04,  W.  W.  Lance;  1904-10,  C.  W.  Barnes;  1910-11,  E.  E. 
McCammon;  1911-13,  T.  H.  Housel. 

The  foregoing  facts  and  statements  are  a  part  of  the  interesting 
history  of  William  Street  Church.  Truly  this  Church  has  per- 
formed a  wide  mission. 

Not  only  has  it  exerted  a  gracious  and  salutary  influence  towards 
the  moral  elevation  and  improvement  of  the  community,  but  it  has 
aided  in  a  remarkable  degree  the  Church  to  spread  Christianity 
throughout  the  country  and  in  many  parts  of  the  Old  World,  its 
membership  having  always  fostered  and  maintained  a  great  interest 
in  the  cause  of  missions ;  especially  has  the  Church  called  into  this 
work  the  women,  old  and  young,  who  have  been  abundant  in  labors 
to  send  the  Word  of  Life  to  heathen  peoples. 

And  to-day,  with  a  history  spanning  several  generations,  dur- 
ing which  period  the  membership  has  been  subject  to  constant 
change,  it  has  a  membership  of  about  750. 

This  society  is  one  of  five  Methodist  Churches  in  Delaware — 
St.  Paul's  and  Faith  Chapel,  in  the  Ohio;  Asbury  and  Grace,  in  the 
North-East  Ohio,  and  William  Street,  in  the  Central  Ohio  Con- 
ference. 


XIX. 


Toledo    Methodism. 


ASBURY  CHURCH,  TOLEDO. 

ASBURY  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH,  Toledo,  Ohio,  situated  in 
the  western  part  of  the  city  and  in  the  midst  of  at  least  twenty- 
five  thousand  people,  was  organized  in 
the  year  1872  under  the  name  of 
Detroit  Avenue  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  Lots  at  the  corner  of  De- 
troit Avenue  and  Forrar  Street  were 
donated  by  Theopholis  P.  Brown  and 
wife,  Francis  A.  Brown,  but  the  deed 
was  not  secured  until  April  17,  1874. 
The  church  occupied  this  site  until 
1892,  when,  under  the  pastorate  of  the 
Rev.  Thos.  N.  Barkdull,  it  was  re- 
moved to  its  present  location  at  the 
corner  of  Detroit  and  Fernwood  Aves. 
During  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev. 
C.  C.  Kennedy,  who  was  appointed  to 
the  charge  in  the  fall  of  1896,  the  old  frame  structure  was  sold 
and  moved  from  the  ground,  and  a  new  building  was  erected  and 
dedicated  June  25,  1899.  On  the  evening  of  December  14,  1900, 
the  building  was  burned.  This  accident  was  a  heavy  blow  to  the 
struggling  congregation,  as  the  insurance  was  barely  sufficient  to 
pay  off  the  mortgage  and  the  outstanding  obligations.  But  under 
the  leadership  of  the  Rev.  Sidney  S.  Clay  the  work  of  rebuilding 
was  begun  and  rapidly  pushed  to  completion,  the  present  structure 
being  dedicated  May  3,  1903. 

From  that  time  the  growth  of  the  society  has  been  steady,  its 
membership  at  the  present  numbering  about  450,  with   a  Sunday 

283 


REV.  CHARLES  FULKERSON, 
PASTOR. 


284  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

school  of  over  five  hundred  and  an  active  Epworth  League  of  one 
hundred  members.  This  growth  having  rendered  the  present  struc- 
ture inadequate,  led  the  trustees  in  October,  1913,  to  acquire  addi- 
tional ground  on  Detroit  Avenue,  just  south  of  the  present  site,  at 
a  cost  of  $2,700,  and  in  the  near  future  a  large  and  more  modern 


ASBURY  CHURCH,  TOLEDO,  O. 

church  building  is  to  be  erected.  The  house  on  this  additional  lot 
purchased  was  moved  to  a  lot  nearby  and  remodeled,  making  a  good 
modern  parsonage  worth  $3,500. 

The  following  ministers  have  served  as  pastors  of  Detroit  Ave- 
nue and  Asbury :  Arkinson  Berry,  Charles  Hoag,  Mark  Richardson, 
Charles  Hoag,  Rev.  Moore,  P.  Stevens,  Benjamin  L.  Rowand,  Jesse 
Carr,  George  B.  Wiltsie,  Jefferson  Williams,  Abraham  Hopkins, 
Thomas  N.  Barkdull,  N.  B.  C.  Love,  J.  C.  Shaw,  C.  C.  Kennedy, 
Daniel  G.  Strong.  J.  Smith  Kirk,  Sidney  S.  Clay,  Nathan  S.  Brack- 
ney,  Wm.  Boyer,  Wm.  Hook,  and  Chas.  Fulkerson. 


BETHANY  CHURCH,  TOLEDO. 

The  first  class  was  organized  here  in  1844  with  ten  or  twelve 
members.  For  about  eight  years  the  class  met  in  a  schoolhouse. 
In  1852  the  present  church  was  erected. 


Toledo  Methodism. 


285 


•The  names  of  the  pastors  who  have  served  here  are  the  follow- 
ing: J.  Welch,  J.  Kellam,  T.  J.  Pope,  Stillman  George,  W.  S. 
Warren,  W.  B.  Scannell, 
W.  B.  Shannon,  F.  Plum, 
Wm.  Nickerson,  W.  Gra- 
ham, J.  R.  Colgan,  Jason 
Wilcox,  B.  F.  Crozier,  J. 
Adams,  John  Farley,  Chas. 
Hoag,  Henry  Chapman, 

B.  L.  Rowand,  E.  S.  Dun- 
ham, A.  Hollington,  Thos. 
Barkdull,  A.  J.  Fish,  Fitz- 
gerald, M.   M.   Figley,  J. 

C.  Shaw,   C.   B.   Holding, 
B.  F.  Gordon,  S.  S.  Clay, 
L.     H.     Gressley,     S.     P. 
Douglas,  S.  Baumgardner, 
N.    B.    C.    Love,    George 
Matthews,    E.    D.    Cooke, 
and  W.  H.  Bade. 

Of  these  ministers  Rev.  REV  WILLIAM  H.  BADE,  PASTOR. 

B.  L.  Rowand  twice  served 

the  charge.  Rev.  J.  R.  Colgan  was  sent  to  the  charge  when  he 
joined  the  Conference  in  1857,  and  God  blessed  his  work  with  a 
gracious  revival  in  1858.  In  1894  he  was  returned  to  the  charge 
for  his  last  appointment.  He  served  us  faithfully  for  five  years, 
closing  his  ministry.  He  and  his  faithful  companion  and  one  be- 
loved daughter  sleep  in  Willow  Cemetery,  near  the  church,  where 
he  commenced  and  closed  an  active  ministry  of  forty-two  years. 

The  following  served  as  presiding  elders  and  district  superin- 
tendents: Thos.  H.  Wilson,  E.  C.  Gavitt,  L.  A.  Belt,  E.  D.  Whit- 
lock,  S.  S.  Barter,  Adam  C.  Barnes,  J.  M.  Avann,  J.  L.  Albritton, 
P.  P.  Pope,  Wesley  G.  Waters,  and  E.  O.  Crist. 

During  these  years  we  have  been  in  three  different  districts — 
Findlay,  East  Toledo,  and  Toledo. 

The  Rev.  W.  H.  Bade,  the  present  pastor,  is  having  a  very  pros- 
perous year.  A  committee  has  been  raised  by  the  Quarterly  Con- 
ference and  given  authority  to  select  a  new  site  for  the  church  and 
raise  funds  for  the  erection  of  a  new  building,  which  is  much  needed 


286 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


now  as  the  Church  is  growing  and  must  have  a  new  building  to 
meet  the  needs  of  the  rapidly  developing  suburban  community- 


BROADWAY  CHURCH,  TOLEDO. 

Broadway  Church  is  situated  in  the  fifth  ward,  on  Broadway, 
one  of  the  thoroughfares  of  the  city,  which  after  it  leaves  the  city 
is  skirted  by  the  Maumee  River,  along  which  as  it  extends  south 

a  great  many  fine  houses  and 
beautiful  homes  have  been 
built.  Its  location  is  between 
Western  and  Crittenden  Ave- 
nues, and  is  in  a  thrifty  and 
growing  section  of  Toledo,  with 
a  large  population  to  draw 
upon  of  middle  class  and  pros- 
perous citizens. 

The  history  of  the  Church 
commences  with  its  organiza- 
tion as  a  Sunday  school  in 
1859.  This  was  perhaps  the 
first  mission  Sunday  school  in 
the  city,  organized  by  St. 
Paul's  Church. 

It  began  in  a  little  brick 
chapel  belonging  to  the  Ger- 
man Methodists,  located  on 
Harrison  Street,  between  St. 

Clair  and  Erie  Streets.  This  school  was  organized  at  the  sugges- 
tion and  with  the  aid  of  Mr.  Robert  Hunter,  a  loyal  Methodist  and 
an  exemplary  Christian. 

At  the  first  meeting  of  the  school  Mr.  Hunter  and  wife  and  Mr. 
John  Allen  were  present,  and  some  young  women  or  girls  who  are 
still  living  in  the  city.  Three  of  the  girls  were  Lucy,  Ella,  and 
Emma,  the  daughters  of  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Wright,  and  three  others, 
Anna  Keelock,  Cassie  Wetmore,  and  Sarah  Collins — in  all,  nine 
scholars  the  first  Sunday,  and  on  the  second  sixteen  with  no  adults 
excepting  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hunter. 

Mr.  Hunter  for  a  number  of  years  acted  as  janitor,  superin- 


REV.  DAVID  F.  HELMS,  PASTOR. 


Toledo  Methodism. 


287 


tendent,  and  chorister.  While  attending  a  Methodist  Sunday  school 
in  England  he  was  converted  and  received  into  the  Church  by  the 
Rev.  Thomas  Kent  in  1844.  In  1854  he  came  to  Toledo  and  at 
once,  with  his  wife,  united  with  St.  Paul's  Church,  the  Rev.  J.  T. 
Caples  being  pastor. 

After  the  period  just  mentioned  the  school  was  identified  with 
St.  Paul's  Church,  but  depended  largely  upon  outsiders  for  support. 


BROADWAY  CHURCH,  TOLEDO,  O. 

Among  its  friends  and  supporters  were  Mr.  Khrieble,  D,  H.  Miner, 
N.  W.  Howard,  and  D.  N.  Trowbridge  and  wife. 

In  1864  Mr.  Hunter  enlisted  in  the  army,  and  the  Rev.  Lewis 
Tiedeman,  a  German  minister  and  for  many  years  a  citizen  of 
Defiance  after  leaving  Toledo,  took  charge  of  the  school,  Mrs. 
Hunter  acting  as  assistant  superintendent.  Mr.  Hunter  returned 
from  the  army,  and  Mr.  Tiedeman  resigned,  and  he  was  again 
elected  superintendent.  He  was  superintendent  until  the  number 
of  scholars  had  reached  two  hundred.  The  superintendents  in  the 
early  history  of  the  school  were  Robert  Hunter,  Lewis  Tiedeman, 
John  Bairds,  John  Boyers,  B.  J.  Stark,  G.  W.  Humphrey,  Frank 
E.  Gregory,  C.  C.  Stoddard,  and  Charles  Potts. 


288  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

In  1865  the  Church  was  organized  with  twenty  members,  the 
Rev.  Rolla  Chubb  being  its  pastor.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hunter,  Mrs. 
Barr,  James  Balfe  and  wife,  and  Sanford  Prouty  were  among  the 
members  of  this  first  class. 

The  first  church,  which  was  a  frame  building,  was  built  in 
1868,  during  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  Arkinson  Berry.  The  par- 
sonage, which  was  then  adjoining  the  church,  was  built  during  the 
pastorate  of  the  Rev.  Abel  M.  Corey.  The  church  cost  about 
$10,000  and  stood  where  the  present  building  is  located. 

In  1889  the  frame  building  was  supplanted  by  the  present  build- 
ing, a  large  and  modern  structure  built  of  brick  with  stone  trim- 
mings at  a  cost  of  $25,000. 

The  parsonage  was  disposed  of  and  a  larger  and  better  one 
secured,  located  on  Crittenden  Avenue. 

The  Church  now  has  a  membership  of  nearly  seven  hundred, 
a  Sunday  school  with  an  enrollment  of  over  seven  hundred,  pays  a 
salary  of  $2,000,  and  is  striving  nobly  to  fulfill  its  mission  in  a 
populous  section  of  the  city.  To  do  this  adequately  a  new  church 
building  is  needed,  for  the  present  structure  is  overcrowded.  The 
Sunday  school  could  be  greatly  increased  if  room  could  be  furnished 
to  care  for  the  classes.  A  fund  has  been  started  for  the  purchase 
of  a  new  building  site,  and  a  new  church  must  be  erected  in  the 
near  future. 

The  following  list  of  faithful  ministers  have  served  as  pastors: 
Rolla  H.  Chubb,  Chas.  H.  Zimmerman,  Arkinson  Berry,  W.  W. 
Winter,  Franklin  Marriott,  Abel  M.  Corey,  Thomas  Deal,  T.  N. 
Barkdull,  T.  L.  Wiltsie,  P.  P.  Pope,  L.  C.  Webster,  J.  H.  Bethards, 
L.  M.  Albright,  Stewart  Baumgardner,  J.  W.  Holland,  D.  H. 
Bailey,  B.  F.  Reading,  and  D.  F.  Helms,  the  present  pastor. 

CENTRAL  CHURCH,   TOLEDO. 

On  the  23d  of  February,  1896,  Rev.  S.  C.  Wright,  then  pastor 
of  Monroe  Street  Church,  preached  a  sermon  in  two  unfinished 
rooms  on  Albion  Street,  near  Central  Avenue,  over  a  grocery  store. 
Here  a  Sunday  school  was  organized  with  an  enrollment  of  fifty- 
nine.  The  work  of  the  school  was  carried  on  under  the  supervision 
and  efforts  of  the  Monroe  Street  Church,  and  in  May,  1897,  a 
meeting  was  called  by  the  Rev.  W.  H.  Leatherman,  who  had  been 


Toledo  Methodism. 


289 


appointed  pastor  of  the  Monroe  Street  Church  the  preceding  fall, 
to  organize  the  new  society,  and  members  were  enrolled,  officials  were 
chosen,  and  the  organization  perfected,  but  it  remained  a  branch 
of  the  Monroe  Street  Church. 

In  the  spring  of  1897  a  new  church  enterprise  was  begun  and 
lots  at  the  south  corner  of  Central  and  Detroit  Avenues  were  pur- 
chased. The  plans  for  the  building 
were  drawn  and  the  contract  let  to 
Mr.  George  Lightheiser,  who  pushed 
the  work  forward,  and  the  church 
was  dedicated  September  6,  1897,  by 
Prof.  R.  T.  Stevenson,  of  the  Ohio 
Wesleyan  University.  In  October  of 
1898  the  charge  was  divided  and 
Central  Church  was  put  together 
with  Spring  Street  Church,  and  the 
Rev.  L.  H.  Gressley  was  appointed 
as  pastor.  This  connection  with 
Spring  Street  continued  until  about 
1902.  Under  the  pastorates  of  Rev. 
L.  H.  Gressley,  Rev.  J.  W.  Gibson, 


REV.  WILLOUHBY  N.  SHANK, 
PASTOR. 


Rev.  D.  G.  Strong,  and  Rev.  Jesse  Carr  the  Church  and  Sabbath 
school  grew  so  that  Central  Church  was  made  a  station. 

The  Rev.  Daniel  Stecker  was  appointed  as  pastor  of  the  Central 
Church.  During  his  pastorate  the  Church  doubled  its  membership 
and  grew  so  rapidly  that  in  the  fall  of  1906,  when  Rev.  C.  W. 
Collinge  became  pastor,  the  church  building  was  too  small  to  accom- 
modate the  people.  Not  being  able  at  this  time  to  erect  a  new 
building  for  Church  purposes  only,  a  business  block  was  built 
joining  the  old  church  consisting  of  three  storerooms  and  four  living 
apartments,  a  part  of  which  were  to  be  used  for  Sunday  school 
purposes.  This  arrangement  satisfied  the  needs  for  a  few  years 
and  materially  aided  the  Church  in  a  financial  way. 

The  pastorate  of  Rev.  N.  S.  Brackney,  who  came  to  the  work  in 
the  fall  of  1908,  was  a  time  of  great  seed-sowing  and  cultivating 
which,  while  it  did  not  come  to  fruitage  during  his  ministry,  brought 
forth  an  abundant  harvest  the  year  following.  Rev.  C.  J.  Yeisley 
was  appointed  pastor  of  the  Church  in  the  fall  of  1910.  After  the 
revival  services  during  the  winter  of  1910-11,  through  which  about 
10 


290 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


sixty  members  were  brought  into  the  Church,  and  added  to  these 
were  ninety-one  as  the  result  of  the  great  union  revival  services 
under  the  leadership  of  the  Rev.  William  A.  Sunday  the  following 
spring,  the  church  became  entirely  inadequate  to  meet  the  require- 
ments. Steps  were  taken  immediately  looking  toward  the  erection 
of  a  new  building. 


CENTRAL,  CHURCH,  TOLEDO,  O. 

In  order  to  meet  the  immediate  needs  of  the  congregation  a 
temporary  tabernacle  was  constructed  on  Central  Avenue,  at  the 
head  of  Glenwood  Avenue.  Here  for  over  two  years  in  this  crude 
wooden  structure  without  floor  or  comfortable  pews  the  congrega- 
tion met  Sunday  after  Sunday  for  divine  worship.  In  the  meantime 
a  lot  was  purchased  on  the  southwest  corner  of  Central  and  Scott- 
wood  Avenues  for  the  future  location  of  the  new  church  building. 
The  Official  Board  at  once  began  to  plan  for  the  new  edifice,  and 
the  plans  submitted  by  Architect  M.  M.  Stophlet  were  approved 
and  accepted  and  Mr.  B.  F.  Laird  was  employed  to  superintend 
the  construction.  Ground  was  broken  on  Easter  Sunday  of  1912. 
The  building,  now  completed  at  a  total  cost  of  $28,000,  was  dedi- 
cated by  Bishop  W.  F.  Anderson,  assisted  by  Dr.  E.  O.  Crist, 
district  superintendent,  and  Rev.  C.  J.  Yeisley,  pastor,  Sunday 
evening,  July  27,  1913. 


Toledo  Methodism. 


291 


The  present  building  is  of  brick  and  stone  and  has  a  seating 
capacity  of  six  hundred.  It  has  Sunday  school  rooms,  furnace 
rooms,  dining  room,  kitchen,  and  library  in  the  basement.  The 
membership  of  the  Church  at  present  numbers  356,  with  a  Sunday 
school  enrollment  of  741.  Located  as  it  is  in  the  most  rapidly 
growing  section  of  the  city  of  Toledo,  and  possessing  a  corps  of 
willing,  praying,  consecrated  workers,  the  prospects  of  Central 
Church  are  exceedingly  bright. 

Rev.  W.  N.  Shank  is  the  present  popular  and  successful  pastor. 


CLARK  STREET  CHURCH,  TOLEDO. 

During  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  M.  M.  Figley  at  Third  Street, 
now  Euclid  Avenue,  a  Sunday  school  was  organized  and  conducted 
in  a  hall  on  Miami  Street,  and  later 
in  the  Maccabee   Hall,  Oak  Street. 

In  1890  the  first  church  building 
was  erected  at  1133-1135  Clark 
Street.  The  Sunday  school  having 
outgrown  the  building,  a  new  church 
was  erected  in  1902.  This  building, 
valued  at  $25,000,  has  all  modern 
conveniences.  A  modern  parsonage 
is  located  on  the  lot  beside  the 
church. 

The  pastors  in  order  have  been 
as  follows:  Carlisle  B.  Holding, 
Frank  W.  Stanton,  Jacob  Baumgard- 
ner,  Mortimer  Gascoigne  (now  de- 
ceased), Daniel  Carter,  Hibbard  J.  Jewett,  and  Frank  E.  Higbie, 
the  present  pastor. 

The  Sunday  school  has  an  enrollment  of  six  hundred  and  an 
average  attendance  of  four  hundred.  It  is  thoroughly  organized, 
each  department  having  its  own  superintendent.  The  Woman's 
Home  Missionary  Society  and  the  Woman's  Foreign  Missionary 
Society  each  have  a  strong  organization,  their  receipts  each  year 
totaling  a  handsome  sum. 

The  Ladies'  Aid  Society  has  a  membership  of  over  one  hundred 


REV.  FRANK  E.  HIGBIE,  PASTOR. 


292 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


and  from  the  beginning  of  the  Church  has  done  much  both  in  a 
financial  and  social  way. 

The  Epworth  League  has  a  membership  of  eighty,  and  in  every 
department  much  strong,  aggressive  work  is  done.  The  present 
Church  membership  (1914)  is  659. 


CLARK  STREET  CHURCH,  TOLEDO,  O. 

Clark  Street  is  noted  for  its  strong  grip  upon  the  men  of  its 
section  of  the  city  through  its  Personal  Workers'  League,  organized 
three  years  ago  at  the  time  of  the  "Billy"  Sunday  tabernacle  meet- 
ings. Its  meetings  are  evangelistic,  and  scores  of  men  have  been 
led  to  Christ  and  into  the  Church  through  the  efforts  of  these  men. 

COLLINGWOOD  CHURCH,  WEST  TOLEDO. 

The  first  preaching  services  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Toledo 
was  at  a  settlement  then  known  as  Ten  Mile  Creek,  later  Tre- 
mainsville,  now  West  Toledo.  This  was  before  Toledo  was 
platted.  Billings  O.  Plympton  and  Elias  Pattee  were  the  preachers 
in  1823. 

The  records  in  1825  show  that  William  Simmons  was  presiding 
elder  of  the  Detroit  District,  Michigan  Conference;  Detroit  Cir- 


Toledo  Methodism. 


293 


cuit,  John  A.  Baughman,  preacher  in  charge,  with  Solomon  Manier. 
associate. 

Rev.  John  A.  Baughman  preached  in  Tremainsville  in  1825- 
1826  and  formed  two  classes.  The  first  class  formed  was  in  1826 
in  the  house  of  Eli  Hubbard,  near  the  Tremainsville  bridge.  The 
names  of  the  members  were :  John,  Samuel,  and  Sophronia  Horton ; 
William  Wilkinson  and  wife ; 
Mrs.  Frances  Maria  Whit- 
ney, and  Miss  Mary  Keeler. 
William  Wilkinson  was  ap- 
pointed leader.  Preaching 
places  were  established  at 
Eli  Hubbard's  and  Noah  A. 
Whitney's. 

Soon  after  this  another 
class  was  formed  at  the 
Whitney  residence,  of  which 
Mrs.  Frances  Maria  Whit- 
ney was  the  leader.  Among 
the  earliest  members  of  the 
class  were:  Catherine  Mar- 
tin, Lydia  Martin,  Elizabeth 
Holmes,  Mary  Mills,  Mar- 
garet Miller,  Hannah  Hor- 
ton, Elenor  Wallworth,  and 
Sarah  Wallworth.  This 
class  developed  into  the 
Monroe  Street  Church. 

The  class  at  the  Hubbard  house  developed  into  the  Tremains- 
ville (now  Collingwood)  Church. 

Mrs.  P'rances  Maria  Whitney  continued  in  the  capacity  of  class 
leader  for  some  time,  exerting  an  excellent  moral  influence  over  the 
members  of  her  class  and  throughout  the  entire  community.  Her 
name  will  be  handed  down  to  posterity  as  one  of  the  most  refined 
and  intelligent  ladies  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  that 
day  in  the  Maumee  Vallej'. 

Of  her  husband,  Noah  A.  Whitney,  Gavitt  says,  "No  man  has 
been  more  loyal  to  the  Methodist  Church  according  to  his  means." 
He  died  in  1873.  A  son,  Noah  A.  Whitney,  lives  in  Toledo. 


REV.  WILLIAM  HOOK,  PASTOR. 


294  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


OLD  COLLINGWOOD  CHURCH,  WEST  TOLEDO. 

'Dismantled  in  1914  far  the  erection  of  the  new  church.) 


COLLINGWOOD  CHURCH. 


Toledo  Methodism.  295 


The  first  house  of  public  worship,  according  to  Rev.  Elnathan 
C.  Gavitt,  by  any  denomination  in  Northwestern  Ohio  was  built 
at  Tremainsville,  commenced  in  1834  and  finished  in  1835.  Ac- 
cording to  Mr.  Samuel  Blanchard,  of  Toledo  (whose  father  joined 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  1837),  who  attended  its  Sunday 
school,  it  was  built  of  logs  and  located  on  the  east  side  of  Detroit 
Avenue,  overlooking  Ten  Mile  Creek,  on  what  is  now  the  Lenk  Wine 
Company's  property.  The  oak  frame  of  the  old  church  is  still 
standing  as  a  part  of  one  of  the  company's  buildings. 

This  church,  now  located  on  Phillips  Avenue,  for  almost  a 
century  has  had  a  steady  growth  and  has  been  served  by  many  of 
the  leading  ministers  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference.  The  con- 
gregation is  now  engaged  in  building  a  commodious  modern  struc- 
ture at  a  cost  of  about  $30,000,  which  was  made  necessary  by  the 
growth  of  the  city  extending  beyond  the  church  and  the  rapid 
growth  of  the  Sunday  school  and  Church  in  the  last  few  years. 

The  Rev.  William  Hook  is  the  present  pastor,  and  through  his 
untiring  labors  and  wide  influence  the  new  church  has  been  made 
possible. 

The  corner-stone  of  the  new  church  was  laid  by  the  district 
superintendent,  Dr.  E.  O.  Crist,  June  28,  1914.  The  new  church 
is  being  erected  on  the  site  of  the  old  church. 

The  Building  Committee  of  the  new  church  consists  of  the 
following:  Charles  E.  Selleck,  Ira  Bolton,  Frank  M.  Rogers, 
H.  A.  Stafford,  and  C.  G.  Vermas. 

The  new  church  is  of  the  most  approved  modern  plan,  with 
ample  facilities  for  the  Sunday  school  and  with  a  fine  gymnasium, 
shower  bath,  reading  room,  and  dining  room. 

A  roomy,  comfortable  parsonage  stands  on  the  spacious  lot  be- 
side the  new  church. 

EPWORTH  CHURCH,  TOLEDO. 

Epworth  Church  traces  its  beginnings  to  an  informal  meeting 
held  January  24,  1894,  with  Rev.  A.  C.  Barnes,  presiding  elder  of 
Toledo  District,  at  his  residence  in  Toledo.  There  were  present 
Dr.  J.  L.  Tracy,  Dr.  C.  W.  Munson,  L.  E.  Clark,  and  Rev.  T.  W. 
Brake.  The  needs  of  the  many  Methodists  in  the  western  portion 
of  the  city  and  the  possibility  of  a  Sunday  school  and  Church  were 
fullv  discussed. 


296 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


Three  days  later,  at  the  home  of  Dr.  Tracy,  there  was  held 
another  gathering  of  men  interested  in  the  new  project.  There 
were  present,  in  addition  to  the  above,  T.  L.  Tracy,  John  Farley, 
T.  H.  Biddle,  J.  A.  Huston,  Henry  Bobst,  and  S.  G.  Harvey.  A 
lengthy  session  ensued,  full  of  interest  and  good-will,  but  ending 
in  no  definite  program. 

On  the  30th  of  the  same  month  Mesdames  J.  L.  Tracy,  I.  N. 
Huntsberger,  F.  W.  Brake,  I.  N.  Applegate,  S.  G.  Harvey,  M.  R. 

Fuller,  and  L.  E.  Clark  met  with  Mrs. 
C.  W.  Munson.  These  women  decided 
to  canvass  the  territory  in  the  interests 
of  the  proposed  Church.  They  did  so 
and  reported  that  they  had  called  upon 
one  hundred  and  nineteen  Methodist 
families  living  in  the  neighborhood  which 
the  new  Church  should  serve. 

The  Toledo  Methodist  Union,  at  a 
meeting  held  in  St.  Paul's  Church,  Feb- 
ruary 2,  1894,  expressed  concerning  the 
new  enterprise,  "encouragement,  sym- 
pathy, and  Godspeed." 

After  other  meetings  of  similar  char- 
&cter  ..The  Epworth  Society  of  the  Meth_ 

odist  Episcopal  Church"  was  organized 

at  a  meeting  held  in  the  First  Unitarian  Church,  Sunday,  February 
11,  1894.  This  society,  auxiliary  to  the  Toledo  Methodist  Union, 
at  the  same  time  organized  a  Sunday  school,  whose  superintendent 
was  L.  E.  Clark,  and  arranged  for  weekly  prayer-meetings.  Ninety- 
three  persons  were  present  at  this  first  session  of  the  new  society 
and  school. 

On  May  25,  1894,  was  constituted  the  Quarterly  Conference 
of  Epworth  Church,  and  the  new  society  received  its  first  minister 
in  the  appointment  of  Rev.  A.  E.  Smith,  September,  1894.  A 
church  building  was  begun  at  once  near  the  corner  of  Scottwood 
and  Bancroft.  This  structure  on  its  completion  was  the  church 
home  until  December,  1907- 

In  the  belief  that  the  rapidly  growing  western  section  of  the 
city  required  a  larger  building  and  a  more  advantageous  site,  and 
upon  the  offer  of  Mrs.  L.  V.  McKesson  to  give  a  suitable  plot  of 


REV.  JOHN 


Toledo  Methodism. 


297 


ground  wherever  the  Church  might  wish  it,  the  present  building 
was  erected  in  1907,  during  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  W.  B.  Armington, 
at  the  corner  of  Parkwood  and  Delaware  Avenues. 

The  history  of  the  Church  is  a  record  of  continuous  growth  in 
membership  and  usefulness  and  so  justifies  the  judgment  and  an- 
swers the  prayers  of  its  discerning  founders. 


EPWORTH  CHURCH,  TOLEDO. 


The  membership  now  exceeds  six  hundred,  and  the  entire  in- 
debtedness was  covered  by  good  subscriptions  on  the  twentieth  anni- 
versary of  the  Church  in  May,  1914. 

The  following  ministers  have  served  Epworth  Church:  A.  E. 
Smith,  Fletcher  L.  Wharton,  Elmer  E.  McCammon,  Merrick  E. 
Ketcham,  William  B.  Armington,  John  H.  Bickford,  and  the  present 
pastor,  John  B.  Ascham. 


298  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

EUCLID  AVENUE  CHURCH,  TOLEDO. 

The  Methodist  Church  in  East  Toledo  known  as  Third  Street 
Church,  was  organized  in  1866  by  the  Rev.  John  Farley  in  Brown's 
Hall,  on  the  corner  of  Front  and  Oak  Streets,  East  Toledo,  which  at 
that  time  was  included  in  Findlay  District.  The  society,  composed 
of  but  twenty  members,  received  helpful  counsel  and  efficient  aid 
from  the  Rev.  Horatio  S.  Bradley,  who  was 
the  presiding  elder  of  the  district.  The  first 
church  building  of  the  society,  a  frame  struc- 
ture, was  erected  on  Third  Street  in  1869. 
The  church  was  dedicated  in  January, 
1870,  by  the  Rev.  E.  C.  Gavitt,  who  at  that 
time  was  presiding  elder  of  the  East  Toledo 
District,  the  charge  of  the  "East  Side"  hav- 
ing been  transferred  from  the  Findlay  to  the 
East  Toledo  District. 

The  Board  of  Trustees  was  composed  of 

REV.  3   A.  HOLMES,        A   p    Saxton,  N.  R.  Winslow,  J.  J.  Mattocks, 
PASTOR. 

S.  Atkinson,  and  A.  Saxhorn. 

At  the  time  of  the  dedication  of  the  church  the  Sunday  school 
had  an  enrollment  of  sixty,  and  the  building  and  grounds  a  valuation 
of  about  $4,000. 

The  ministers  who  have  served  the  Third  Street  Church  are: 
John  Farley,  Joshua  Smith,  Joseph  H.  Bethards,  William  Fitz- 
gerald, J.  W.  Miller,  Caleb  Hill,  Ambrose  Hollington,  Benj.  L. 
Rowand,  T.  N.  Barkdull,  Andrew  J.  Fish,  M.  M.  Figley,  Samuel  L. 
Roberts,  John  W.  Donnan,  Morris  D.  Baumgardner,  M.  E.  Ketcham, 
C.  W.  Sutton,  and  J.  A.  Holmes. 

The  presiding  elders  have  been:  Horatio  S.  Bradley,  E.  C. 
Gavitt,  Wm.  W.  Winter,  Alexander  Harmount,  L.  A.  Belt,  W.  G. 
Waters,  E.  D.  Whitlock,  P.  P.  Pope,  Adam  C.  Barnes,  J.  L. 
Albritton,  J.  M.  Avann,  A.  C.  Barnes,  W.  G.  Waters,  and  E.  O. 
Crist. 

At  an  adjourned  meeting  of  the  Quarterly  Conference  of  the 
Third  Street  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  held  April  16,  1897,  dur- 
ing the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  John  W.  Donnan,  it  was  agreed  to 
purchase  the  property  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Euclid  and  Starr 
Avenues,  then  owned  by  E.  J.  Woodruff;  the  plan  was  unanimously 


Toledo  Methodism. 


299 


approved  by  the  congregation  on  the  Sabbath  following.  A  par- 
sonage was  soon  afterward  built  on  the  rear  end  of  the  newly 
acquired  lot.  Owing  to  the  change  in  its  location  the  name  of  the 
Church  was  changed  from  Third  Street  to  Euclid  Avenue. 

During  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  Morris  D.  Baumgardner, 
which  began  in  1899,  plans  were  adopted  for  the  erection  of  the 
present  building,  and  the  work  continued  until  its  completion  and 
dedication. 


EUCLID  AVENUE  CHURCH,  TOLEDO. 

Much  credit  should  be  given  to  the  pastor  and  the  Building  Com- 
mittee, consisting  of  James  Jeffrey,  W.  H.  Tucker,  M.  M.  Park, 
H.  E.  Noble,  R.  H.  Finch,  and  A.  F.  Henry,  for  their  untiring 
efforts  in  bringing  this  undertaking  to  a  splendid  consummation, 
and  to  Mr.  L.  W.  Buzzard,  the  contractor,  who  was  also  a  member 
of  the  Church. 

After  the  foundation  of  the  new  church  was  completed  the  Third 
Street  property  was  sold  and  the  congregation  worshiped  in  the 
basement  of  the  new  building.  The  edifice  was  finally  completed 
during  the  fall  of  1904  and  dedicated  on  November  20th  of  that 
year.  The  cost  of  the  church  was  approximately  $37,000,  and  with 
the  parsonage  the  value  of  the  entire  property  is  estimated  at  about 


300  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


),000.  Built  of  stone  in  the  most  approved  manner,  and  with  a 
seating  capacity  of  a  thousand  people,  it  is  one  of  the  best  planned 
and  most  commodious  churches  in  the  city. 

The  membership,  while  at  Third  Street  numbering  about  one 
hundred  and  eighty-three,  has  increased  to  six  hundred. 

The  Rev.  J.  A.  Holmes,  the  present  pastor,  is  having  a  very 
successful  pastorate.  A  plan  has  been  adopted  whereby  the  debt 
is  being  regularly  reduced,  and  the  Church  is  in  a  very  prosperous 
and  flourishing  condition. 

HAMILTON  MEMORIAL  CHURCH,  TOLEDO. 

The  Hamilton  Memorial  Church  grew  out  of  a  mission  work 
which  was  begun  about  1904.  The  Church  gets  its  name  through 
a  donation  to  the  Church  Extension  Society  by  George  J.  Hamilton 
of  a  considerable  sum  of  money;  $1,000  from  this  fund  was  given 
by  that  society  to  aid  in  the  erection  of  the  church.  The  church 
was  completed  at  a  cost  of  about  $5,000  and  dedicated  February  9, 
1908,  during  the  pastorate  of  Dr.  E.  T.  Wells.  The  dedication 
services  were  in  charge  of  Dr.  W.  G.  Waters,  district  superintendent 
of  the  Toledo  District. 

The  Church  has  continued  with  varying  degrees  of  success  until 
the  present  time,  in  which  it  is  in  a  very  good  condition  under  the 
pastorate  of  Rev.  R.  W.  Wallace.  There  are  about  sixty  members, 
and  one  hundred  and  ten  in  the  Sunday  school,  and  the  Church  is 
taking  on  new  life. 

IRONVILLE  CHURCH,  TOLEDO. 

The  Rev.  B.  L.  Rowand  held  a  revival  in  1876  in  a  small  Union 
Chapel,  at  the  corner  of  Lee  and  Front  Streets.  Many  conversions 
occurred  and  a  class  of  Methodists  was  organized. 

Subsequently  various  ministers  for  many  years  preached  and 
held  services  in  this  part  of  East  Toledo,  among  whom  were  Charles 
Hoag,  N.  B.  C.  Love,  C.  W.  Collinge,  C.  E.  Rowley,  J.  W.  Donnan, 
R.  E.  Carter,  and  J.  R.  Colgan. 

In  1906  J.  W.  Smith,  the  present  pastor,  was  appointed  to  the 
work. 

An  agreement  among  the  several  denominations  that  had  been 
holding  services  in  the  place  was  that  the  Methodist  Church  should 


Toledo  Methodism.  301 


be  given  the  field  and  the  chapel  on  condition  that  her  people  would 
cultivate  the  territory  and  establish  permanent  services. 

There  was  at  first  slight  encourage- 
ment given  to  Brother  Smith  by  the 
people  of  the  community  in  the  under- 
taking he  had  assumed,  but  soon  a  Sun- 
day school  of  seventeen  persons  was 
organized,  and  a  revival  was  held  which 
resulted  in  some  forty  conversions.  In 
December,  1907,  the  present  Methodist 
society  was  formed  with  fifty-six  mem- 
bers. 

The  society  in  1909,  with  the  coun- 
sel and  assistance  of  Dr.  E.  O.  Crist, 
the  district  superintendent,  purchased 
the  site  at  the  corner  of  Millard  and 

Case  Streets  for  $1,200.  One  denom-  REV'  JoHN  W'  SMITH'  PASTOB' 
ination  refused  to  waive  its  claim  on  the  chapel,  therefore  the  Meth- 
odists went  ahead  and  in  ninety  days  erected  a  neat  brick  church 
building  on  the  site,  which  was  dedicated  in  September,  1910,  by 
Dr.  E.  O.  Crist,  assisted  by  the  pastor. 

The  society  has  recently  built  on  its  spacious  lot  beside  the 
church  building  a  modern  dwelling-house  for  a  parsonage.  This 
makes  the  plant  complete  and  well  worth  $15,000  or  more. 

The  phenomenal  development  and  prosperity  of  the  Ironville 
Church  is  due  in  a  large  measure  to  the  untiring  labors  and  zeal 
of  the  pastor,  Rev.  J.  W.  Smith,  who  was  the  first  one  to  catch 
the  vision  of  the  possibilities  of  this  enterprise.  With  true  heroism 
and  self-sacrifice  he  undertook  the  task  with  but  slight  encourage- 
ment to  begin  with,  but  his  enthusiasm  and  faith  proved  to  be  con- 
tagious for  he  inspired  the  people  to  follow  his  leadership  and 
emulate  his  spirit,  and  they,  too,  by  working  with  him  with  their 
own  hands  and  giving  most  generously  of  their  earnings,  have 
helped  him  to  succeed  so  splendidly  in  this  most  worthy  and  im- 
portant work.  They  deserve  great  credit  for  their  splendid  loyalty 
and  devotion  to  the  Lord  and  the  Church. 

The  church  is  located  in  a  community  of  laboring  people,  to 
whom  its  establishment  and  services  have  been  and  will  continue 
to  be  an  incalculable  blessing. 


302  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

During  Rev.  Smith's  pastorate  there  have  been  some  five  hun- 
dred conversions,  very  many  of  whom  have  removed  to  other  parts 
of  the  city  and  some  from  the  city.  The  Church  has  an  active 


IRONVILLE  CHURCH,  TOLEDO. 

membership  of  one  hundred  and  fifty,  with  a  growing  Sunday  school 
and  Epworth  League. 

Prior  to  his  coming  to  Ironville  Rev.  J.  W.  Smith  served  as 
pastor  of  Damascus  and  Providence  Chapel,  Dowling,  Washington 
Chapel,  and  Hamilton  Memorial. 

Rev.  Smith  has  been  a  very  efficient  local  preacher;  ordained 
as  local  elder,  he  has  served  each  charge  assigned  to  him  with  large 
and  permanent  success,  and  has  been  very  successful  in  assisting 
other  ministers  in  evangelistic  work. 

MONROE    STREET   CHURCH,   TOLEDO. 

The  Monroe  Street  society  was  formally  organized  in  1842, 
having  until  that  year  been  a  part  of  the  class  formed  by  Rev. 
John  A.  Baughman  in  1826,  known  as  the  Ten  Mile  Creek  Class, 
later  Tremainsville,  now  Collingwood,  West  Toledo. 

The  first  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  within  what  is  now  the 
present  city  limits  of  Toledo  was  the  Monroe  Street  Church,  or- 
ganized largely  through  the  efforts  of  Mrs.  Frances  Maria  Whitney, 


Toledo  Methodism. 


303 


REV.  C.  W.  COLLINGE,  PASTOR. 


MONROE  STREET  CHURCH,  TOLEDO. 


304  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

wife  of  Noah  A.  Whitney,  whose  house  was  the  first  preaching 
place ;  but  the  affairs  of  this  society  are  so  intermingled  with  the 
Tremainsville  society  that  their  separate  histories  are  somewhat 
indistinct  and  difficult  to  trace. 

The  first  brick  church  was  built  in  1859,  and  was  dedicated  by 
Rev.  Granville  Moody,  of  the  Cincinnati  Conference. 

Monroe  Street  Church  was  made  a  station  in  1868. 

This  first  brick  church  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1891,  and  the 
present  edifice  was  erected  the  same  year  under  the  pastorate  of 
John  W.  Miller. 

The  present  church  building,  on  the  corner  of  Monroe  Street 
and  Auburn  Avenue,  is  a  plain  brick  with  a  total  length  of  eighty 
feet,  built  in  the  shape  of  the  letter  "L."  The  property  when  pur- 
chased comprised  an  acre  of  ground  and  is  beautified  by  a  number 
of  fine  forest  trees  with  evergreens  and  willows  in  neighborly 
relation.  The  parsonage  is  located  beside  the  church  on  the  same 
lot. 

The  church  is  in  a  growing  section  of  the  city,  surrounded  by 
comfortable  homes  and  a  population  chiefly  of  industrial  classes, 
and  has  a  membership  of  over  four  hundred. 

The  pastors  who  have  served  Monroe  Street  Church  since  1868 
are  as  follows:  John  Farley,  E.  H.  Gammon,  Jeremiah  McKean, 
Edward  A.  Berry,  Samuel  S.  Barter,  T.  N.  Barkdull,  N.  B.  C.  Love, 
E.  S.  Dunham,  Joseph  Ayers,  M.  Gascoigne,  J.  W.  Miller,  G.  H. 
Priddy,  Stewart  C.  Wright,  W.  H.  Leatherman,  Daniel  Carter, 
G.  B.  Wiltsie,  M.  C.  Howey,  C.  J.  Yeisley,  and  C.  W.  Collinge, 
the  present  pastor. 

ST.  JAMES  CHURCH,  TOLEDO. 

St.  James  Church  had  its  beginning  in  a  Sunday  school  organ- 
ized in  a  room  over  a  store  building  on  Albany  Street  in  the  early 
part  of  the  seventies  by  a  few  members  of  St.  John's  Church. 
Among  the  number  were  Mr.  William  Beatty  and  Mrs.  S.  E.  S. 
Keith.  Mrs.  Keith  later  joined  the  society  and  at  the  present  time 
she  is  the  oldest  active  member. 

A  class  was  also  organized  with  the  Rev.  Charles  Hoag  leader. 
Revival  services  were  held  some  few  months  after  the  Sunday  school 
and  class  were  organized. 


Toledo  Methodism. 


305 


REV.  ERNEST  H.  HAMMOND, 
PASTOR. 


As  the  Sunday  school  and  society  grew  the  need  of  a  perma- 
nent house  of  worship  became  apparent.  This  enterprise  was  begun 
under  the  leadership  of  Rev.  Hoag,  who  gave  a  lot  on  the  corner 
of  Albany  and  Erie  Streets  for  a 
building  site,  and  $200  besides,  un- 
dertaking the  task  of  seeing  the  work 
carried  to  completion.  The  society 
was  known  as  the  Albany  Street 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

In  a  few  years  the  society  out- 
grew its  old  quarters  and,  as  a  larger 
building  was  contemplated,  a  loca- 
tion nearer  the  center  of  the  field 
was  sought  after.  During  the  pas- 
torate of  Rev.  John  I.  Wean  this 
desire  began  to  take  shape  in  con- 
crete form  when  two  lots  on  the 
corner  of  Erie  and  Sandusky  Streets 
were  secured  for  the  new  building  site. 

In  1898,  during  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  M.  A.  Casey,  the  new 
church  project  was  launched,  and  completed  later  to  the  auditorium 
during  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  M.  D.  Baumgardner.  The  cost  was 
about  $15,000.  The  name  of  the  society  was  changed  from  Albany 
Street  to  St.  James.  The  old  church  on  Albany  Street  was  sold 
and  the  proceeds  applied  on  the  indebtedness  of  the  new  church. 
The  indebtedness  of  the  new  church  was  fully  met  while  Rev.  E.  A. 
Strother  was  pastor. 

During  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  C.  W.  Collinge  a  basement  was 
put  under  the  church  and  a  lot  secured  adjoining  the  church  lot  on 
Erie  Street  and  the  building  of  a  parsonage  was  begun.  The  work 
was  completed  during  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  R.  W.  Wallace.  These 
improvements  cost  $3,000.  The  society  now  has  a  modern  up-to- 
date  church  and  parsonage. 

Stirring  revivals  occurred  during  the  pastorates  of  Revs.  M.  D. 
Baumgardner,  E.  A.  Strother,  and  F.  L.  Hook.  During  the  present 
pastorate,  that  of  Rev.  E.  H.  Hammond,  the  Church  membership 
has  been  doubled.  The  membership  is  now  nearly  three  hundred, 
and  the  average  attendance  in  the  Sunday  school  is  over  two  hun- 
dred. The  old  indebtedness  incurred  by  the  improvements  on  the 
20 


306  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

church  and  the  building  of  the  parsonage  has  been  greatly  reduced, 
and  the  church  has  been  frescoed. 

The  society  was  at  first  a  part  of  a  circuit,  but  became  a  station 
in  1894.     After  being  served  by  supplies  a  number  of  years,  among 


ST.  JAMES  CHURCH,  TOLEDO. 

whom  was  Rev.  Charles  Hoag,  the  following  have  served  as  pastors : 
John  Poucher,  Abraham  Hopkins,  John  C.  Shaw,  C.  M.  Sardiner, 
James  C.  Sinclair,  John  I.  Wean,  M.  A.  Casey,  M.  D.  Baum- 
gardner,  J.  C.  Crider,  E.  A.  Strother,  F.  L.  Hook,  C.  W.  Collinge, 
R.  W.  Wallace,  and  E.  H.  Hammond. 

ST.  JOHN'S  CHURCH,  TOLEDO. 

St.  John's  society  was  first  known  as  the  Toledo  City  Mission, 
later  as  Ames's  Chapel,  then  Lagrange  Street,  and  finally  as  St. 
John's  in  1872. 

In  the  Minutes  of  the  North  Ohio  Conference  of  1851  the  Rev. 
C.  H.  Owens  is  mentioned  as  pastor  at  a  salary  of  three  hundred 
dollars.  As  near  as  can  be  learned,  this  was  the  beginning  of  the 
society  as  a  separate  organization  from  First  Church,  now  St. 
Paul's,  which  in  1850  sold  its  building  on  Huron  Street  and  bought 
the  lot  on  the  corner  of  Superior  and  Madison  Avenues.  Some 


Toledo  Methodism. 


30? 


members  living  in  the  vicinity  of  the  former  First  Church  started 
this  organization  about  1850. 

The  Rev.  J.  A.  Shannon  was  the  pastor  in  1855,  and  the  Rev. 
George  W.  Collier  in  1856-57- 

In  1856  a  church  building  is  reported  which  was  known  as 
Ames's  Chapel,  but  no  valuation  is  given.  No  mention  after  this 
date  was  ever  made  of  Ames's  Chapel, 
the  society  being  served  in  all  proba- 
bility in  connection  with  Tremains- 
ville,  now  West  Toledo. 

Revs.  Isaac  Newton,  Oliver  Ken- 
nedy, and  L.  M.  Albright  were  at  one 
time  and  another  pastors  of  the 
Church  during  the  early  and  initial 
years  of  its  existence. 

In  1 869,  at  the  close  of  the  Rev. 
Samuel  Baxter's  pastorate,  it  was 
deemed  wise  by  the  congregation  to 
secure  another  location  and  to  effect 
a  change  in  the  lay  administration  RE\.  MAURICE  D.  BAUMGARD- 
of  the  society.  This  was  accordingly  NER>  PASTOR- 

done  and  a  lot  on  Magnolia  Street,  not  far  from  Summit,  was  pur- 
chased and  the  present  brick  building,  two  stories  high,  was  erected 
in  1873. 

The  Rev.  Leroy  A.  Belt  was  at  that  time  presiding  elder  of  the 
Toledo  District  and  was  very  influential  in  the  change  of  location 
and  in  the  building  of  a  beautiful  church.  The  organization  was 
considerably  strengthened  at  this  time  by  the  transfer  from  St. 
Paul's  Church  to  St.  John's  of  a  large  number  of  members  who 
were  living  in  the  vicinity  of  St.  John's. 

The  Rev.  John  H.  Wilson  was  the  first  pastor  of  the  new  church 
which  now  took  the  name  of  St.  John's,  the  first  Quarterly  Con- 
ference of  the  station  being  held  in  October,  1872. 

The  trustees  of  the  Church  were  Wm.  St.  Johns,  Charles  Doug- 
las, Dwight  Buck,  D.  W.  Gibbs,  P.  Poag,  M.  W.  Bellman,  A.  W. 
Plain,  and  A.  H.  McVey. 

The  ministers  who  have  served  the  Church  since  1860  are: 
William  S.  Paul,  Ambrose  Hollington,  James  W.  Alderman,  Geo. 
W.  Collier,  T.  N.  Barkdull,  Samuel  S.  Barter,  D.  R.  Cooke,  John 


308 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


H.  Wilson,  I.  R.  Henderson,  William  Jones,  E.  A.  Berry,  Wilbur 
J.  Hodges,  J.  L.  Albritton,  J.  H.  Bethards,  Andrew  J.  Fish,  E.  B. 
Lounsberry,  David  Bowers,  John  M.  Mills,  Charles  Bennett,  W.  J. 
Hagerman,  and  at  present  Maurice  D.  Baumgardner  is  the  minister. 


ST.  JOHN'S  CHURCH,  TOLEDO. 

The  membership  of  the  Church  now  numbers  over  six  hundred, 
and  the  Church  pays  a  salary  of  $1,500  and  parsonage. 

A  splendid  residence  near  the  church  was  purchased  in  1913 
for  a  parsonage. 

ST.  PAUL'S  CHURCH,  TOLEDO. 

In  1830  Toledo  had  a  population  of  only  thirty. 

Port  Lawrence,  at  the  mouth  of  Swan  Creek,  and  Vistula,  at 
the  foot  of  Lagrange  Street,  were  both  aspiring  to  be  the  "Future 
Great,"  but  huckleberry  bushes,  swamps  and  swales,  reeds  and 
rushes  were  in  possession. 

In  1832  a  plat  of  Port  Lawrence  was  made  and  recorded  in 
Monroe  County,  Michigan,  as  Michigan  then  claimed  that  the 
Maumee  River  was  the  State  boundary  line. 


Toledo  Methodism.  309 


In  a  letter  written  at  that  time  by  Benjamin  Rathbun  he  says: 
"I  was  once  where  Toledo  now  stands.  In  1818  a  man  by  the 
name  of  Henderson  built  a  log  and  stone  house  on  the  bank  and 
partly  over  the  water,  just  below  what  was  then  known  as  Swan 
Creek,  and  there  was  a  French  cabin  in  the  flats  near  Swan  Creek 
for  the  Indians  to  get  rum  in." 

Horatio  Conant,  in  a  letter  dated  Fort  Meigs,  February  9,  1822, 
says,  "Respecting  Port  Lawrence  (settlement  at  the  mouth  of  Swan 
Creek),  there  is  not  nor  has  there  been  for  years,  nor  is  there  likely 
to  be,  more  than  three  English  families,  including  all  within  three 
miles  of  the  place." 

In  this  year  the  first  sermon  was  preached  within  the  territory 
then  included  in  the  limits  of  Toledo.  In  Rev.  Elnathan  C.  Gavitt's 
interesting  book,  "Crumbs  from  My  Saddlebags,"  he  says :  "During 
my  early  ministry  upon  the  Monroe  Circuit  in  1832  I  preached  the 
first  sermon  preached  in  what  is  now  the  city  of  Toledo  proper. 
Spending  a  few  days  with  Major  C.  I.  Keeler  and  his  excellent 
family,  whose  house  and  home  was  always  hospitably  open  to  the 
early  itinerant  ministers,  I  requested  the  major  to  accompany  me, 
and  if  a  place  could  be  obtained  in  Vistula,  I  would  be  pleased  to 
preach  to  the  people  of  the  place  on  the  Sabbath.  Through  the 
kindness  of  my  host  a  room  was  obtained  for  one  service  in  a  ware- 
house owned  or  occupied  by  Mr.  Goddard,  standing  on  the  bank 
of  the  river.  (The  warehouse  faced  Water  Street,  between  Adams 
and  Madison.)  Here  the  last  week  of  October  I  preached  from 
Gen.  19:  17  to  twelve  persons,  most  of  whom  were  women." 

However,  it  was  held  by  Mr.  Amassa  Bishop,  a  resident  at  that 
time  and  until  his  death  some  years  ago,  that  the  Rev.  Elijah  H. 
Pilcher  preached  the  first  sermon  in  Toledo  and  that  the  meeting 
was  held  in  the  dwelling  of  a  Mr.  E.  C.  Briggs,  who,  though  not  a 
Methodist,  but  of  Methodist  antecedents,  opened  his  house  as  a 
place  of  worship.  Amassa  Bishop,  Eli  Hubbard,  Noah  A.  Whitney 
and  wife,  Sarah  and  Mary  Keeler,  and  the  preacher  rode  to  the 
service  in  a  lumber  wagon  and  comprised  both  congregation  and 
choir.  After  a  few  attempts  to  hold  worship  here  the  effort  was 
abandoned. 

Revs.  Elijah  H.  Pilcher  and  Elnathan  C.  Gavitt  were  the 
preachers  on  the  Tremainsville  Circuit,  now  West  Toledo,  at  first 
called  Ten  Mile  Creek,  in  1832,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  both 


3io 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


of  these  men  preached  in  Toledo  at  that  time.  The  first  Methodist 
settling  in  Toledo  was  Mrs.  Simson,  who  died  in  1833,  not  long 
after  she  came  to  Toledo,  and  no  minister  being  available,  "Deacon" 
Keeler  offered  prayer  and  made  a  few  remarks,  and  Mr.  Amassa 
Bishop  closed  the  service  with  prayer. 

While   Methodism  in  what   was  then   Toledo   dates   its   formal 


FIRST  CHURCH,  TOLEDO.       (1836.) 


beginning  in  1832,  circuit  preachers  for  a  decade  doubtless  had 
been  traveling  the  Maumee  Valley,  visiting  the  settlements  and 
preaching  to  the  pioneers  in  their  log  cabins  in  winter  and  in  "God's 
First  Temple" — the  woods — in  summer. 

These  pioneer  preachers  anticipated  the  city  and  led  in  the  van 
of  civilization.  It  was  a  lofty  heroism  which  they  displayed, 
mounted  on  horseback,  with  saddle-bags  of  ample  dimensions — 
serving  as  wardrobe,  library,  larder,  and  medical  dispensary — they 
went  forth,  braving  storm  and  danger,  for  the  small  pay  of  about 
twenty  cents  a  day. 

Toledo  and  vicinity  was  supplied  from  the  Maumee  District. 
Presiding  elder,  John  Janes  (father  of  Mr.  Frank  Janes,  living  now 


Toledo  Methodism. 


FIRST  CHURCH,  TOLEDO.     (As  it  now  appears.) 


ST.  PAUL'S,-  TOLEDO.     (About  1874.) 


312  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

in  Toledo),  Ira  Chase,  preacher.  During  Rev.  Ira  Chase's  two 
years'  pastorate  he  established  the  first  society  within  what  was 
then  the  limits  of  Toledo  proper. 

According  to  Clark  Waggoner's  "History  of  Toledo,"  the  first 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Toledo  was  organized  in   1836  in 


ST.  PAUL'S,  TOLEDO.      (About  1894.) 

the  older  part  of  the  city,  now  called  Lower  Town,  when  the  society 
purchased  lots  483  and  485,  Huron  Street  between  Walnut  and 
Locust  Streets,  and  thereon  built  a  frame  church  which  was  after- 
wards purchased  by  the  Oerman  Methodists  in  1850. 

This  church  building  is  still  in  existence  and  is  now  located  on 
the  alley  between  Erie  and  Ontario  and  Walnut  and  Locust  Streets. 
It  has  been  raised  and  an  under  story  erected. 

Mr.  Will  Corlett  (now  of  Waterville)  when  a  boy  attended  its 


Toledo  Methodism. 


313 


Sunday  school,  and  to  him  we  are  indebted  for  some  of  these  facts 
and  these  pictures. 

Below  is  a  copy  of  an  oil  picture  painted  "on  the  spot"  in  1852 
by  that  talented  Toledo  painter,  now  deceased,  Mr.  W.  H.  Machen, 
now  owned  by  his  nephew,  Mr.  Edwin  A.  Machen,  to  whom  we 
are  indebted  for  the  privilege  of  using  this  very  valuable  picture 
of  early  Toledo.  The  point  from  which  this  picture  is  painted  is 
beyond  Orange  Street,  between  St.  Clair  and  Superior  Streets,  at 
about  the  rear  of  the  Newsboys'  Auditorium. 


TOLEDO  IN  1852.     (From  painting  by  W.  H.  Machen.) 


KEY  TO  PICTURE. — The  speeding  team  is  on  Jackson  Avenue.  No.  1,  The 
then  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  facing  Adams  Street  near  St.  Clair  Street,  now 
occupied  by  Trinity  Church  buildings.  No.  10,  where  the  present  Old  Postoffice 
stands,  the  building  just  beyond  is  the  site  of  The  Secor  Hotel.  No.  3,  The 
Morton  House,  now  the  Produce  Exchange.  No.  4,  now  The  Boody  House. 
No.  5,  The  First  Congregational  Church.  No.  6,  now  the  Ohio  Building.  No.  7, 
The  then  just  completed  brick  $2,000  First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Toledo 
on  the  corner  of  Superior  and  Madison.  No.  9,  John  Stevens'  house,  now  the 
Toledo  Club  building.  No.  8,  site  of  the  Smith  &  Baker  building,  corner  of 
Adams  and  Superior  Streets  (Adams  Street  seems  not  then  to  have  been  de- 
6ned). 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


This  society  had  a  membership  of  fifty  in  1845,  and  in  1850  of 
about  seventy,  when  the  congregation,  feeling  the  need  of  a  better 
location  and  building,  appointed  a  committee,  consisting  of  Thomas 
Southard,  James  Love,  and  Almon  Hopkins,  to  secure  a  lot.  The 
committee  soon  made  its  report  and  the  lot  on  the  corner  of  Madison 


ST.  PAUL'S  CHURCH,  TOLEDO.     (Present  Building.) 

and  Superior  was  purchased  for  the  sum  of  $800,  and  on  it  a  plain 
brick  building  was  erected  in  1851  at  a  cost  of  $2,000. 

In  this  building  the  Methodists  of  Toledo  continued  to  worship, 
excepting  those  of  Monroe  Street,  West  Toledo,  and  a  small  class 
who  about  this  time  formed  a  society  which  was  established  on  La- 
Grange  Street  and  known  as  Toledo  City  Mission,  then  Ames's 
Chapel,  and  later  LaGrange  Street,  but  after  1872,  St.  John's 
Church. 

In  1865  the  brick  church  was  taken  down  and  the  present  struc- 


Toledo  Methodism.  315 


ture,  still  standing  on  the  corner  of  Madison  and  Superior  Streets, 
and  at  present  occupied  by  business  stores  and  offices,  was  erected 
at  a  cost  of  $60,000. 

This  property,  purchased  by  a  syndicate  when  St.  Paul's  society 
moved  to  the  corner  of  Madison  and  Thirteenth  Streets,  was  sold 
in  1913  for  the  sum  of  $300,000.  Here  in  this  edifice  the  society 
known  as  St.  Paul's  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  continued  to  wor- 
ship until  the  year  1897,  when,  during  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev. 
James  M.  Montgomery,  the  property  was  sold  and  the  present 
church  edifice  of  stately  appearance  and  commodious  appointments 
was  erected  on  the  corner  of  Madison  and  Thirteenth  Streets. 

St.  Paul's  has  a  membership  to-day  of  over  1,100,  in  which 
many  of  the  foremost  business  men  of  the  city,  lawyers  and  phy- 
sicians, manj'  people  of  high  standing,  a  number  of  artisans  and 
persons  from  all  the  ordinary  and  honorable  vocations  of  life  are 
to  be  found,  loyal  to  Methodism  and  active  in  good  work. 

In  1876,  when  Dr.  Waters  became  pastor  of  the  Church,  he  and 
his  congregation  were  confronted  with  a  formidable  debt,  the  ac- 
cumulation of  many  years,  of  over  $25,000,  which  by  the  able  and 
wise  management  of  the  pastor  and  through  the  efforts  of  the 
members  of  the  Church,  assisted  by  the  Central  Ohio  Conference 
in  the  sum  of  $10,000,  was  gradually  reduced  and  finally  fully 
met  during  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  S.  L.  Beiler,  1880-83. 

The  ministers  who  have  served  this  Church  are:  Martin  Welsh, 
S.  L.  Yourtee,  Wm.  L.  Harris,  W.  W.  Winters,  E.  R.  Jewett,  J.  M. 
Kellam,  Wm.  Hitchcock,  John  Graham,  John  T.  Caples,  Thomas 
Parker,  Joseph  Ayers,  Geo.  W.  Collier,  Alexander  Nelson,  Edmund 
B.  Morrison,  Henry  E.  Pilcher,  Chas.  W.  Ketcham,  Daniel  D. 
Mather,  Pearl  P.  Ingalls,  Russel  B.  Pope,  Park  S.  Donaldson, 
Gershom  Lease,  Wesley  G.  Waters,  Leroy  A.  Belt,  Samuel  L. 
Beiler,  Daniel  Strong,  T.  L.  Wiltsie,  Duston  Kemble,  Elias  D. 
Whitlock,  S.  D.  Huntspillar,  James  M.  Montgomery,  John  R. 
Shannon,  Thomas  H.  Campbell,  Richard  D,  Hollington,  Lewis  T. 
Guild,  and  Robert  O.  Matthews. 

SPRING  STREET  CHURCH,  TOLEDO. 

Spring  Street  Church,  located  on  the  corner  of  Spring  and  Mul- 
berry Streets,  had  its  origin  in  a  Sunday  school  organized  October 
25,  1891,  by  members  of  St.  John's  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 


316 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


REV.  GEORGE  H.  WOLCOTT, 
PASTOR. 


whose  pastor  at  that  time  was  the 
Rev.  A.  J.  Fish. 

The  officers  of  the  school  were 
Homer  Hood,  superintendent;  Frank 
H.  Tanner,  secretary ;  L.  S.  Churchill, 
treasurer.  The  teachers  were  Mrs. 
Martha  Clark,  William  Beatty,  A.  B. 
Hood,  Jennie  Jones,  Lottie  Scott, 
Emma  Swartz,  Ida  Swartz,  Mrs.  Wm. 
Bartlett,  and  Eliza  Meenan.  The 
enrollment  of  the  school  was  sixty-five. 

The  school  for  the  first  two  or 
three  years  met  in  the  schoolhouse 
on  the  corner  of  Spring  Street  and 
Stickney  Avenue. 


It  soon  became  evident  that  if  the  work  should  prove  permanent 
a  chapel  would  be  necessary,  and  accordingly  the  matter  was 
brought  before  the  Quarterly  Conference  of  St.  John's  Church  and 
a  committee,  consisting  of  Homer  Hood,  William  Beatty,  A.  B. 
Hood,  L.  S.  Churchill,  and  F.  H.  Tanner,  was  appointed  with 
authority  to  look  up  a  suitable  site  and  to  build  a  church.  The  lot 
where  the  church  now  stands  was  purchased,  and  the  sum  of  $500 
raised  to  proceed  with  the  undertaking,  and  on  March  31,  1895, 
the  Rev.  A.  J.  Fish,  assisted  by  Homer  Hood,  superintendent  of 
the  Sunday  school,  laid  the  corner-stone  of  the  chapel.  Many  of 
the  Methodist  ministers  of  the  city  were  present,  and  Dr.  N.  B.  C. 
Love  made  the  address. 

The  Sunday  school  at  the  time  of  the  corner-stone  laying  com- 
prised a  membership  of  118,  with  the  following  officers  and  teachers 
in  charge:  Homer  Hood,  superintendent;  John  A.  Lefft,  assistant 
superintendent;  Hattie  Clark,  secretary  and  organist;  Mrs.  Martha 
Clark,  treasurer,  and  Capt.  E.  A.  Williams,  A.  B.  Hood,  H.  Rendle, 
John  A.  Lefft,  Lizzie  Hill,  Lottie  Scott,  Lydia  Clarke,  and  William 
Beatty,  teachers. 

Soon  after  the  corner-stone  was  laid  the  erection  of  the  chapel 
was  begun,  and  during  the  summer  of  1895  it  was  completed. 

During  the  winter  of  1895-96  services  were  occasionally  con- 
ducted by  Mr.  Drake  and  Evangelist  McClean,  and  during  the 
summer  of  1896  W.  W.  Constine,  a  student  in  the  Ohio  Wesleyan 


Toledo  Methodism. 


317 


University,  was  appointed  by  the  presiding  elder,  J.  M.  Avann,  to 
hold  services.  At  the  session  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference  of 
1 896,  Spring  Street  was  recognized  as  a  duly  organized  society  and 


SPRING  STREET  CHURCH,  TOLEDO. 

united  with  Western  Avenue  Church,  with  the  Rev.  J.  C.  Crider 
as  pastor  under  appointment  by  the  Conference. 

During  Brother  Crider's  pastorate  the  work  took  definite  shape 
and  preparations  were  made  for  the  dedication  of  the  building,  which 
occurred  May  2,  1897,  the  Rev.  Dr.  David  H.  Moore,  editor  at  that 
time  of  the  Western  Christian  Advocate,  in  charge  of  the  services. 

The  total  cost  of  the  lot  and  building  was  about  $2,300,  which 
was  provided  for  on  the  day  of  dedication. 

Brother  Crider  was  returned  as  pastor  for  the  year  1897-98. 

At  the  Conference  in  Sidney,  Ohio,  1898,  Spring  Street  was 
transferred  from  Western  Avenue  to  Central  Avenue  Church  and 
the  Rev.  L.  H.  Gressley  was  appointed  pastor  by  Bishop  Joyce. 
During  that  year  the  debt  on  the  church  was  reduced  to  $184. 

Brother  Gressley  was  appointed  for  the  year  1899-00.  The 
small  debt  on  the  church  was  gradually  reduced  by  a  gift  of  $100 


318 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


from  Sister  Mary  Reed  and  persistent  efforts  of  the  Ladies'  Aid 
Society  until  its  mention  ceased  to  be  made. 

In  the  fall  of  1900,  Spring  Street  was  transferred  from  Central 
Avenue  to  West  Toledo  and  the  Rev.  Geo.  Matthews  was  appointed 
pastor.  During  the  year  1901-02  the  Rev.  Jesse  Carr  was  pastor; 
1903-06,  the  Rev.  Dr.  N.  B.  C.  Love;  1906-09,  the  Rev.  Richard 
Wallace;  1909-13,  the.  Rev.  N.  S.  Brackney,  and  1913,  the  Rev.  E. 
D.  Whitlock.  After  the  death  of  Dr.  Whitlock,  December  23,  1913, 
Rev.  G.  H.  Wolcott  was  appointed  pastor  by  Dr.  E.  O.  Crist,  the 
district  superintendent. 

WESTERN  AVENUE  CHURCH,  TOLEDO. 

The  Western  Avenue  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  organized 
by  Rev.  J.  W.  Donnan  in  April,  1894,  following  a  revival  held  in 
the  vicinity  during  the  preceding  months. 

In  July,  1894,  a  Building  Committee  was  elected  and  a  corner 

_  lot  was  purchased  for  $1,000 
from  John  and  Mary  Hiett, 
and  work  was  begun  on  the 
erection  of  a  new  church,  the 
corner-stone  of  which  was 
laid  August  19,  1894,  and  the 
church  was  soon  completed 
and  occupied.  The  congrega- 
tion has  grown  steadily  until 
at  the  present  time  (1914) 
the  membership  numbers 
about  200,  with  a  Sunday 
school  averaging  an  attend- 
ance of  240. 

In  1912  a  parsonage  was 
built  on  the  rear  of  the  lot, 
facing  Edna  Street,  at  a  cost 
of  about  $2,000,  making  a 
very  comfortable  home  for 
the  pastor. 

Rev.  Albert  S.  Bowersox, 

the  present  pastor,  was  appointed  to  this  charge  in  1912,  being  the 
first   to  occupy   the   new   parsonage.      The   Church   has   prospered 


REV.  ALBERT  S.  BOWERSOX,  PASTOR. 


Toledo  Methodism.  319 


greatly  under  his  leadership.  The  Sunday  school  has  outgrown 
the  building,  necessitating  the  putting  in  of  a  basement  under  the 
church,  which  was  done  during  1913-14  at  a  cost  of  about  $2,000. 


WESTERN  AVENUE  CHURCH,  TOLEDO. 

This  has  added  much  room  and  greatly  increased  the  value  of  the 
property.  This  is  the  beginning  of  the  remodeling  of  the  church, 
which  must  be  done  in  the  near  future  to  accommodate  the  rapidly 
growing  congregation  and  Sunday  school. 


German  Methodism   in  Toledo. 

BY  REV.  JOHN  MAYER. 


EMANUEL  GERMAN  CHURCH,  TOLEDO. 

German  Methodism  dates  back  to  the  year  1835.  Rev.  Adam 
Miller,  the  first  historian  of  this  work  and  a  stanch  friend  of  it, 
writes  of  the  beginning  thus:  "At  the  Ohio  Conference  of  1835 
the  Rev.  Wm.  Nast  came  recommended  from  Mt.  Vernon  Circuit 
as  a  suitable  person  to  be  received  into  the  itinerant  connection  and 
was  accordingly  received  and  for  the  year  appointed  missionary  to 
the  Germans  of  Cincinnati."  He  met  with  many  disappointments 
and  hardships,  but  he  bravely  held  on,  and  in  much  labor,  great 
faith,  and  devout  prayer  he  gained  the  victory.  In  1843  Adam  Miller 
could  write:  "From  this  small  beginning  in  the  latter  end  of  the 


320 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


year  1835  a  glorious  work  has  gradually  spread,  and  now  we  have 

German    Churches   in    almost   every 
town  and  city  in  the  West." 

It  was  in  1842  the  first  German 
Methodist  society  was  organized  in 
Woodville.  It  soon  became  a  strong 
factor  in  the  development  of  the 
work  in  this  vicinity.  From  there 
a  member,  John  von  Gunden,  moved 
to  Toledo  and  invited  the  preachers 
of  the  Woodville  Circuit  to  Toledo 
and  to  hold  services  in  his  house  on 
Michigan  Street.  In  the  fall  of  1848 
the  Ohio  Conference  sent  Wm.  Geyer 
and  P.  F.  Schneider  to  this  cir- 
cuit. The  latter  came  to  Toledo  and 


REV.  CHARLES  SEVERINGHAXJS, 
PASTOR. 


preached  in  the  home  of  John  von  Gunden.  He  was  an  excellent 
man,  full  of  the  Spirit  of  God  and  of  zeal  for  his  mission.  He  was 
also  a  good  preacher,  magnetic  and  entertaining,  and  many  people 
came  to  hear  him.  The  house  soon  proved  to  be  too  small  for  all 
who  wished  to  hear  him. 

In  this  emergency  the  pastor  and  trustees  of  the  old  St.  John's 
Church  offered  their  church  on  Huron  Street  to  these  beginners. 
It  had  become  too  small  for  their  English  congregation,  and  was 
offered  to  the  Germans  for  $1,000.  In  the  fall  of  1850  the  Ohio 
Conference  took  up  this  matter.  A  collection  was  taken  and  in  less 
than  five  minutes  the  members  of  the  Conference  contributed  $300 
towards  the  $1,000.  The  remaining  $700  was  secured  among  the 
members  and  friends  in  Toledo.  The  church  was  renovated  at  a 
cost  of  a  few  hundred  dollars,  and  in  the  fall  of  1852  Toledo  Mis- 
sion was  separated  from  Woodville  Circuit  and  Rev.  Geo.  A.  Mul- 
finger  appointed  to  this  new  charge.  It  was  only  a  short  time 
until  it  became  necessary  to  enlarge  the  church.  It  was  raised 
and  a  fine  basement  constructed  under  it. 

In  1862  Rev.  P.  F.  Schneider  was  sent  to  this  charge  the  second 
time.  During  his  pastorate  of  three  years  the  property  on  Huron 
Street  was  sold  and  a  church  built  on  Ontario  Street.  Great  re- 
vivals occurred.  The  Lord  prospered  this  work  in  a  wonderful 
manner.  In  1880  this  property  was  sold  and  the  present  location, 
corner  Walnut  and  Ontario,  bought. 


Toledo  Methodism. 


321 


EMANUEL  GERMAN  CHURCH,  TOLEDO. 

During  the  administration  of  Rev.  Henry  Jend  the  present  fine 
church  was  built.  A  number  of  preachers,  some  of  them  known 
throughout  the  whole  connection,  came  from  this  congregation. 
Their  names  are:  Louis  Loos,  John  Loos,  Ulrich  von  Gunden, 
George  Schwinn,  John  J.  Keller,  Fred  Schmidt,  John  E.  Braun, 
and  Conrad  Boecklin.  This  is  a  short  history  of  the  Emanuel 
German  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of  which  the  Rev.  Chas.  E. 
Severinghaus  has  been  the  pastor  for  the  last  four  years. 

GALENA  STREET  GERMAN  CHURCH,  TOLEDO. 

In  1892  the  property  on  Galena  Street  and  Ontario  was  bought. 
The  pastor  of  the  Emanuel  Church,  Rev.  Gustav  E.  Hiller,  or- 
ganized a  Sunday  school  and  built  the  chapel.  This  was  the  be- 
ginning of  the  fourth  German  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in 
Toledo.  It  is  at  present  supplied  by  Rev.  John  J.  Bockstahler. 


322  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

SALEM  GERMAN  CHURCH,  TOLEDO. 

In  1887  Rev.  C.  A.  Militzer  was  appointed  to  start  a  new  mis- 
sion in  East  Toledo.  Rev.  George  Wahl  secured  the  fine  location 
corner  of  Federal  and  Nevada  Streets.  On  it  was  built  a  small 
church.  A  member  of  the  Zion  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
Theobald  Schunk,  built  a  parsonage  for  this  new  mission.  Under 
the  leadership  of  the  present  pastor,  John  H.  Holtkamp,  the  old 
church  was  sold  and  a  new  and  excellent  church  erected  costing 
about  $6,500. 

ZION  GERMAN  METHODIST  CHURCH,  TOLEDO. 

One  of  the  most  prosperous  of  the  German  Churches  is  the 
Zion  Church,  on  Segur  Avenue.  It  was  in  the  year  1858  that  a 
member,  Fred  Schweizer,  moved  to  the  so-called  "bloody  fifth 
ward."  This  man,  full  of  zeal  for  the  extension  of  the  Kingdom 
of  God,  set  about  to  change  the  deplorable  conditions  among  the 
residents  of  the  South  Side.  He  bought  a  lot  on  Harrison  Street. 
There  they  built  the  first  Methodist  chapel.  An  efficient  Sunday 
school  was  organized  and  maintained,  and  it  furnished  the  nucleus 
to  not  only  the  Zion  German  Methodist  Church,  but  also  the  be- 
ginning of  the  Broadway  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Our  chapel 
was  rented  to  our  English  brethren  for  a  small  sum  of  money. 
Brother  Schweizer  was  a  stern  man  with  strict  rules  concerning 
the  propriet}T  of  the  house  of  God  for  which  he  worked  so  hard, 
and  when  his  English  brethren  did  not  meet  his  ideal  he  promptly 
ordered  them  out.  This  gave  them  their  start,  for  they  were  com- 
pelled to  look  for  quarters  of  their  own.  In  1873  the  old  property 
on  Harrison  Street  was  sold  and  the  present  property  bought. 
Under  the  efficient  leadership  of  Rev.  August  F.  Mueller  the  fine 
Zion  German  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  built.  It  cost 
$12,000  and  was  a  large  undertaking  for  the  small  but  faithful 
congregation.  Several  preachers  came  from  this  charge.  Their 
names  are  Carl  Krueger,  Arnold  C.  Baur,  and  C.  F.  Kuhnle.  Many 
people  have  been  converted  at  the  altar  of  this  church.  It  has 
been  a  lighthouse  for  the  Germans  on  the  South  Side. 

Zion  Church  is  known  as  one  of  the  most  spiritual,  with  prayer- 
meetings  second  to  none  in  Toledo  in  point  of  attendance  and  fervor. 
In  1910  the  church  was  renovated  at  a  cost  of  $3,000.  This  sum 
was  contributed  as  a  free-will  offering  without  any  solicitation. 

In  1913  an  addition  to  the  church  was  built  costing  $5,700.     In 


Toledo  Methodism. 


323 


ZION  GERMAN  CHURCH,  TOLEDO. 


324 


History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


V.^  JOHNMAYER,  PASTOR. 


less  than  one  year  $1,000  of 
this  sum  had  been  paid  in  cash 
and  the  rest  of  the  cost  se- 
cured. All  this  is  done  on  the 
free-will  offering  basis.  This 
new  addition  contains  modern 
equipped  toilet  rooms  arid  a 
heating  plant  in  the  basement. 
On  the  main  floor  is  a  large 
society  hall  with  kitchen. 
Above  this  is  a  seven-room 
apartment  for  the  janitor. 
With  the  commodious  parson- 
age near  the  church,  Zion  con- 
gregation has  a  most  excel- 
lent plant.  The  pastor,  John 


Mayer  is  serving  his  tenth  year  for  this  charge. 

THE   METHODIST   UNION,   TOLEDO. 

The  Methodist  Union  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Churches  of 
Toledo  District  was  organized  at  the  beginning  of  the  term  of 
office  of  E.  O.  Crist  as  district  superintendent  of  the  Toledo  Dis- 
trict in  the  autumn  of  190§. 

The  organization  was  first  known  as  the  Methodist  Federation 
of  Toledo  District  and  incorporated  December  3,  1908,  but  later  the 
name  was  changed  to  the  Methodist  Union. 

Suitable  rooms  were  rented  and  furnished 
in  the  Nasby  Building,  on  the  sixth  floor, 
where  an  assembly  room  and  office  for  the 
district  superintendent  and  general  headquar- 
ters for  Methodist  interests  are  maintained. 

The  first  president  of  this  organization 
was  Mr.  Homer  Hood,  of  St.  John's  Church. 
The  second  president  was  Mr.  E.  R.  Hiett, 
of  St.  Paul's,  and  Mr.  J.  W.  Lane,  of  Ep- 
worth,  is  the  present  president. 

The    object    of    this    organization    is    to 

"unify,  harmonize,  and  develop  the  material,  social,  and  spiritual  in- 
terests of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  all  branches  in  the 
Toledo  District,  and  to  maintain  an  office  for  the  district  superin- 
tendent with  rooms  to  be  used  as  general  Methodist  headquarters." 


MR.  HOMER  HOOD. 


The  Church  Triumphant. 

REV.  JOHN  GRAHAM. 

REV.  JOHN  GRAHAM  united  with  the  North  Ohio  Conference  in 
1844.  When  the  Central  Ohio  Conference  was  organized,  in  1856, 
he  became  one  of  its  charter  members. 

Rev.  John  Graham  was  a  very  faithful  pioneer  preacher.  He 
was  a  man  with  more  than  ordinary  ability  as  a  speaker,  and  was 
endowed  with  unusual  executive  ability.  He  gave  to  the  Church 
many  years  of  faithful  service,  and  one  term  of  four  years  as 
presiding  elder.  At  the  close  of  his  long  and  faithful  years  of 
service  he  retired,  choosing  as  his  place  of  residence  Richwood, 
Ohio,  where  he  had  served  as  pastor.  He  never  lost  his  interest  in 
the  work  of  the  ministry  and  the  Church,  but  continued  to  •  be  a 
wise  counselor  and  helper  to  the  close  of  his  life.  Honored  and 
beloved  by  a  wide  circle  of  friends,  he  came  quietly  and  contentedly 
to  the  close  of  his  life  March  9,  1903.  He  died  in  his  home  in 
Richwood,  and  is  buried  in  the  Richwood  cemetery. 

He  married  Miss  Jane  G.  McGee,  who  was  in  every  sense  of  the 
word  a  helpmeet  to  her  husband.  She  was  esteemed  by  all  who 
knew  her,  and  lived  to  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty  years,  when  she 
fell  asleep  in  Jesus  and  was  laid  to  rest  beside  her  husband  in  the 
Richwood  cemetery. 

Two  children  were  born  to  these  parents — a  daughter,  now 
deceased,  who  became  the  wife  of  Mr.  C.  F.  Garberson;  and  a  son, 
Edwin  R.  Graham,  who  is  now  the  Resident  Agent  of  the  Methodist 
Book  Concern  at  Chicago,  and  is  displaying  unusual  executive  and 
business  ability  in  caring  for  the  great  interests  of  the  Church 
entrusted  to  him,  proving  himself  to  be  indeed  a  worthy  son  of 
noble  parents. 

REV.  PARKER  P.  POPE,  D.  D. 

Rev.  Parker  P.  Pope,  D.  D.,  united  with  the  Central  Ohio  Con- 
ference in  1869,  and  died  in  the  active  service  March  22,  1911, 
while  pastor  of  Grace  Church,  Lima. 

325 


326  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

In  all  his  ministerial  life  of  over  forty-one  years  he  was  never 
prevented  from  taking  active  part  in  the  Sunday  services  of  the 
Church  but  four  times  by  illness.  Dr.  Pope  was  indeed  abundant 
in  labors  and  faithful  to  every  trust  committed  to  him. 

Dr.  Pope  was  the  son  of  Rev.  Thomas  J.  Pope.  His  mother 
was  the  daughter  of  Rev.  Russel  Bigelow,  one  of  the  eloquent 
pioneer  preachers  of  early  Ohio  Methodism. 

Dr.  Pope  served  two  terms  as  presiding  elder;  was  elected  a 
delegate  to  the  General  Conference  of  1900,  and  served  as  pastor, 
some  of  the  leading  Churches  of  the  Conference. 

REV.  HENRY  J.  KEISTER. 

Rev.  Henry  J.  Keister  was  born  in  Clinton  County,  Pa.,  No- 
vember 14,  1853,  and  died  at  Wiltshire,  Ohio,  May  28,  1910. 

He  joined  the  Central  Ohio  Conference  in  1882,  having  previ- 
ously served  five  years  in  the  Central  Pennsylvania  Conference. 

He  was  a  faithful,  earnest,  evangelistic  preacher. 

REV.   CHARLES   FARNSWORTH. 

Rev.  Charles  Farnsworth  was  born  in  Vermont,  where  he  spent 
his  boyhood  and  early  manhood.  He  united  with  the  Central  Ohio 
Conference  in  1868. 

He  was  a  quiet,  faithful,  earnest,  sympathetic  preacher,  faith- 
ful to  every  duty  assigned  to  him. 

He  died  in  peace  July  6,  1908,  in  his  cottage  at  Lakeside,  Ohio. 

REV.  MARK  RICHARDSON. 

The  Rev.  Mark  Richardson  was  born  in  Ireland,  and  died  in 
Maumee,  February  22,  1897,  aged  eighty-three  years. 

He  preached  first  in  Wood  County  in  1846,  and  in  Miami  in 
1847.  He  was  licensed  as  a  local  elder  and  held  this  relation  for 
fifty  years,  to  the  time  of  his  death. 

He  served  under  appointment  of  presiding  elders  many  of  the 
Churches  of  Maumee  Valley  successfully. 

He  had  an  impressive  personality,  an  excellent  voice,  an  ac- 
curate memory,  and  was  a  ready  and  forceful  speaker.  He  drew 
large  congregations,  and  preached  by  request  at  Annual  and  District 


The  Church  Triumphant. 


327 


REV.  JOHN  GRAHAM.  REV.  PARKER  P.  POPE,  D.  D. 


REV.  HENRY  J.  KEISTER. 


REV.  CHARLES  FARNSWORTH. 


328  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

Conferences  and  Lakeside  Chautauqua  Assembly  and  other  large 
meetings. 

REV.   MORTIMER   GASCOIGNE. 

Rev.  Mortimer  Gascoigne  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  April 
14,  1853,  and  died  in  Putnam,  Conn.,  June  19,  1905. 

His  grandfather  was  one  of  the  charter  members  of  the  old, 
historic  John  Street  Chvirch,  New  York. 

In  his  early  manhood  he  decided  to  go  West  to  Minnesota.  He 
went  as  far  as  Toledo,  Ohio,  and  there  stopped  to  pay  a  visit  to 
his  former  pastor  at  Albany,  then  serving  as  pastor  of  St.  Paul's 
Church,  Toledo,  the  Rev.  Dr.  W.  G.  Waters.  The  Central  Ohio 
Conference  was  in  session  at  that  time  in  St.  Paul's  Church,  Toledo, 
and  Dr.  Waters  urged  him  to  unite  with  it,  which  he  did  in  the 
fall  of  1881. 

He  was  an  able  preacher,  a  tactful  and  wise  administrator,  a 
sympathetic  and  popular  pastor. 

After  nearly  twenty-four  years  of  faithful  service,  his  health 
failed  while  pastor  of  Clark  Street  Church,  Toledo,  and  after  some 
months  of  patient  suffering,  with  calm  resignation,  he  peacefully 
passed  to  his  reward. 

REV.  GREENBURY  H.  PRIDDY. 

Rev.  Greenbury  H.  Priddy  was  the  son  of  Rev.  J.  N.  Priddy,  a 
member  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference.  He  was  converted  when 
eighteen  years  of  age,  and  soon  responded  to  the  call  of  the  min- 
istry, making  the  third  or  fourth  successive  generation  in  this  family 
consecrated  to  this  glorious  work. 

He  united  with  the  Central  Ohio  Conference  in  1873.  He  was 
a  very  faithful,  earnest  preacher  and  pastor.  He  died  March  3, 
1910. 

REV.   HENRY  BOYERS. 

Rev.  Henry  Boyers  was  born  in  Huntingdon  County,  Pa.,  Oc- 
tober, 1834.  His  early  life  was  spent  at  Ashland,  Ohio.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  Central  Ohio  Conference  at  the  session  held  in  St. 
Paul's  Church,  Toledo,,  in  1857. 

After  his  retirement,  in  1888,  he  took  up  his  residence  at  Toledo, 


The  Church  Triumphant. 


329 


REV.  MORTIMER  GASCOIGNE 


REV.  GREENBURY  H.  PRIDDY. 


REV.  JOHN  C.  MILLER.  REV.  HENRY  BOYERS.     REV.  CHAS  C.  BRANDEBURY. 


REV.  MARK  RICHARDSON. 


REV.  HENRY  WARNER. 


330  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

associating  with  Broadway  Church,  where  he  was  always  an  inspira- 
tion and  benediction  to  his  pastor. 

Rev.  Boyers  was  for  thirty-one  years  a  faithful,  earnest 
preacher,  a  devoted,  sympathetic  pastor. 

He  grew  old  gracefully,  and  sweetly  and  triumphantly  entered 
"the  land  of  pure  delight"  March  12,  1909. 

REV.  JOHN  C.  MILLER. 

The  Rev.  J.  C.  Miller  was  born  October  14,  1825,  and  died 
December  4,  1891.  He  united  with  the  Central  Ohio  Conference 
in  1857.  He  was  a  good  preacher,  but  excelled  as  an  evangelist. 
For  years  in  the  northwestern  counties  of  Ohio  he  had  great  success 
in  organizing  and  building  up  the  Churches.  Hundreds  were  con- 
verted in  his  meetings. 

REV.  CHARLES  C.  BRANDEBURY. 

Rev.  Charles  C.  Brandebury  was  born  in  Shippensburg,  Pa., 
September  7,  1913,  and  died  in  Delaware,  Ohio,  December  13,  1887. 

He  joined  the  Michigan  Conference  in  1838.  He  served  faith- 
fully as  pastor  for  twenty-five  years,  when  failing  health  required 
him  to  retire. 

He  was  an  earnest,  sincere  preacher,  and  filled  every  appoint- 
ment very  acceptably. 

REV.  HENRY  WARNER. 

The  Rev.  Henry  Warner  entered  the  North  Ohio  Conference  in 
1834,  and  died  in  Perrysburg,  Ohio,  1894,  aged  eighty-three  years. 

After  serving  the  Churches  of  Northwestern  Ohio  for  about 
twenty-five  years,  he  became  a  superannuate.  After  his  retirement 
he  prospered  in  business,  and  was  a  great  Church  worker  and  a 
generous  giver,  and  was  highly  respected  by  all.  His  son,  E.  M. 
Warner,  of  Rossford,  Ohio,  is  an  active,  earnest,  leading  layman  in 
the  Rossford  Church. 

REV.  ISAAC  NEWTON,  D.  D. 

Rev.  Isaac  Newton  was  an  Englishman  by  birth  and  education, 
having  been  a  member  of  the  Wesleyan  Conference. 

He  entered  the  Central  Ohio  Conference  at  its  organization,  in 


The  Church  Triumphant. 


33i 


REV.  ISAAC  NEWTON,  D.  D. 


REV.  JASON  YOUNG. 


REV.  WILLIAM  R.  SHULTZ. 


332  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

1856.     He  availed  himself  of  every  opportunity  for  self-improve- 
ment, and  became  an  able  and  acceptable  preacher  and  pastor. 

He  was  a  wise  administrator,  and  the  Churches  he  served  pros- 
pered under  his  care.  His  life  gave  full  proof  of  his  ministry. 
He  died  triumphantly  September  15,  1900. 

REV.  JASON  YOUNG. 

Rev.  Jason  Young  united  with  the  Central  Ohio  Conference  in 
1858,  and  died  June  27,  1904. 

He  was  a  native  of  Shelby  County,  Ohio. 

He  was  a  careful  student  of  the  Bible,  and  his  preaching  was 
Scriptural,  forceful,  and  interesting.  His  services  in  the  pulpit 
were  able,  his  labors  as  a  pastor  fruitful,  and  his  character  above 
reproach. 

REV.  WILLIAM  R.  SHULTZ. 

Rev.  William  R.  Shultz  was  born  in  Pike  County,  Indiana,  Feb- 
ruary 28,  1828,  and  died  in  West  Liberty,  Ohio,  January  31,  1911. 

He  came  from  a  family  of  preachers  and  has  a  brother,  Rev. 
J.  M.  Shultz,  who  is  a  member  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference,  and 
a  daughter  the  wife  of  a  member,  Rev.  N.  S.  Brackney  of  Toledo. 

Rev.  Shultz  was  an  excellent  man,  a  good  preacher,  and  faithful 
pastor,  and  during  his  declining  days,  when  he  suffered  much,  he 
was  patient  and  beautiful  in  spirit  to  the  end. 

REV.  SAMUEL  L.  ROBERTS,  D.  D. 

Rev.  Samuel  L.  Roberts,  D.  D.,  was  born  of  Scotch- Welsh-Irish 
stock,  in  Stark  County,  Ohio,  February  6,  1830. 

He  united  with  the  North  Ohio  Conference  in  1854,  and  became 
a  charter  member  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference.  He  continued 
faithfully  in  the  active  service  of  the  Church  until  near  the  time  of 
his  dea.th,  December  30,  1908. 

He  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools.  He  was  a 
gifted  and  ready  debater,  a  faithful  pastor,  and  had  large  executive 
ability.  He  served  faithfully  three  terms  as  presiding  elder,  and 
was  elected  three  times  a  delegate  to  the  General  Conference. 

He  was  always  faithful  to  every  duty  assigned  him.  He  never 
missed  a  Conference  session,  and  always  took  part  in  the  discussion 
of  any  important  subject  brought  before  the  Conference. 


The  Church  Triumphant. 


333 


REV.  SAMUEL  L.  ROBERTS,  D.  D.  REV.  SHIRLEY  H.  DECKER. 


REV.  JOHN  \V.  HILL,  I).  D.  REV.  THOMAS  H.HousEL. 


334  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

REV.  SHIRLEY  H.  DECKER. 

The  Rev.  Shirley  H.  Decker  was  admitted  into  the  Central 
Ohio  Conference  in  1900.  He  served  the  Arlington  Charge  one 
year,  the  St.  Marys  Circuit  two  years,  and  was  on  the  Rossburg 
Charge  when  he  died,  April  18,  1914. 

Brother  Decker  was  a  very  earnest,  consecrated,  devoted  young 
minister,  and  was  quite  successful  in  his  work. 

REV.  JOHN  WESLEY  HILL,  D.  D. 

The  Rev.  John  Wesley  Hill,  D,  D.,  was  born  in  1832,  and  died 
in  1913.  He  became  a  minister  in  the  United  Brethren  Church  in 
1855,  and  was  received  on  his  credentials  into  the  Central  Ohio 
Conference  in  1869. 

He  was  a  faithful,  devoted,  consecrated  minister  of  Christ.  He 
was  in  the  Retired  relation  for  nineteen  years,  making  his  home 
in  Ada,  Ohio. 

He  was  a  preacher  of  more  than  ordinary  ability,  and  a  writer 
of  note  on  theological  lines. 

REV.  THOMAS  HIRAM  HOUSEL. 

January  23,  1875— October  1,  1913. 

The  Rev.  Thomas  Hiram  Housel  was  transferred  to  the  Central 
Ohio  Conference  from  the  Ohio  Conference,  from  Marietta,  Ohio, 
in  1911,  and  appointed  pastor  of  the  William  Street  Church,  Dela- 
ware, where  he  served  very  ably  and  successfully  until  his  sudden 
and  unexpected  death,  October  1,  1913.  In  his  short  ministry  of 
but  twelve  years  he  won  his  way  to  the  front,  and  greatly  endeared 
himself  to  the  Churches  he  served  and  his  brethren  in  the  ministry. 

When  the  silver  cord  of  a  superb  life  is  suddenly  loosed,  when 
the  golden  bowl  of  exhaustless  power  is  abruptly  broken,  subtle 
graces  are  often  overlooked  in  noting  the  larger  losses. 

Thomas  Hiram  Housel  came  with  both  hands  full  of  gifts.  He 
departed  at  the  very  border  of  the  promised  land  to  which  these 
lavish  gifts  beckoned  him. 

His  conversion  at  eleven,  the  responsibilities  of  Sunday  school 
superintendent  at  sixteen,  and  his  duties  of  public  school  teacher  at 
seventeen  gave  that  weight  and  balance  to  his  young  mind  that 
enabled  him  to  choose  the  deeper,  more  lasting  values.  Making  his 


The  Church  Triumphant.  335 

own  way  from  the  age  of  sixteen,  in  spite  of  college  expenses,  he 
always  tithed  his  income. 

Out  of  his  desire  to  serve  and  his  conviction  that  in  this  complex 
age  the  pulpit  can  not  maintain  its  rightful  place  without  dynamic 
thought-power  grew  his  insatiable  thirst  for  knowledge,  his  open- 
ness of  mind,  his  search  for  truth.  He  carried  the  torch  of  intel- 
lectual inquiry  into  the  darkest  problems  of  life,  into  the  fogs 
of  the  human  spirit.  To  his  hearers,  however,  he  brought  only 
positive  values.  There  was  no  vague  or  misty  aspect  about  his 
message.  He  furnished  the  refreshing  spectacle  of  great  intensity 
of  conviction  without  a  trace  of  the  dogmatic.  He  respected  the 
opinions  of  those  who  had  given  more  study  to  the  great  problems 
than  his  thirty-eight  years  had  permitted. 

His  eloquence,  which  had  won  him  prizes — a  gold  medal,  and 
on  two  occasions  intercollegiate  honors — had  the  charm  of  whole- 
souled  sincerity,  intense  earnestness,  and  abundant  sentiment  with- 
out a  touch  of  sentimentality.  He  believed  that  men  should  covet 
only  the  ability  to  serve ;  that  to  desire  worldly  success  is  to  vitiate 
the  fairest  quality  of  one's  work.  Forgetting  his  own  interests, 
they  seemed  to  be  remembered  by  others.  His  genial  disposition, 
his  winsomeness  of  soul  razed  every  barrier  and  beckoned  him  to 
fields  of  influence  unattained  by  men  of  riper  years  but  less  ripened 
hearts.  He  scorned  the  self-seeking  ways  of  petty  men.  He 
pointed  out  the  great  qualities  of  his  brother  ministers  with  a  pride 
as  nai've,  as  guileless  as  that  of  a  child.  But  he  was  quite  as  much 
interested  in  the  work  of  common  men,  believing  that  every  one 
has  his  vision  of  what  is  most  worth  while.  He  listened  with  at- 
tentive respect  to  chronic  social  reformers  and  rheumatic,  shelf- 
worn  theologians.  His  humanity  shone  with  such  warmth  that 
though  he  never  invited  confidences,  people  brought  to  him  their 
struggles  and  sorrows,  their  tears  and  their  tragedies.  They  found 
him  ever  ready  with  those  precious  words  that  calm  and  heal  the  soul. 

In  his  domestic  life  he  revealed  spiritual  graces  of  the  rarest 
beauty.  Here  better  than  anywhere  else  his  great  soul  shone  forth. 
He  took  as  much  pains  to  be  interesting  to  his  family  as  he  would 
have  shown  to  renowned  guests.  His  four-year-old  daughter,  when 
told  that  the  angels  had  taken  her  father,  after  the  first  flood  of 
childish  grief  had  passed,  said  with  great  assurance,  "Well,  he  is 
certainly  good  enough  to  live  with  the  angels." 


XXI. 

Surviving  Charter  Members 

OF  THE  CENTRAL  OHIO  CONFERENCE. 

THE  Rev.  N.  B.  C.  Love,  D.  D.,  Rev.  Loring  C.  Webster,  D.  D.. 
and  Rev.  Andrew  J.  Frisbie  are  the  three  living  charter  members 
of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference.  Rev.  Joshua  M.  Longfellow,  also 
having  survived  the  entire  life  of  the  Conference,  passed  to  his 
reward  February  21,  1914. 

These  four  men,  whose  lives  and  ministry  cover  the  entire  fifty- 
seven  years  of  the  history  of  the  Conference,  are  typical  of  the 
stern  stuff  out  of  which  the  sturdy  pioneers  of  those  early  days 
were  made. 

REV.  NATHANIEL  B.  C.  LOVE,  D.  D. 

Rev.  Nathaniel  B.  C.  Love,  D.  D.,  like  Rev.  L.  C.  Webster, 
D.  D.,  was  a  member  of  the  North  Ohio  Conference  before  the 
organization  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference.  Dr.  Love  is  a  man 
of  unusual  versatility  of  talents.  In  addition  to  his  arduous  pas- 
toral labors,  he  has  been  connected  with  twenty-three  Chautauqua 
assemblies  as  normal  Bible  class  teacher,  assistant  superintendent, 
president  or  superintendent.  He  has  written  the  history  of  the 
Maumee  and  Sandusky  Valleys  from  original  sources,  which  has 
been  published  in  secular  and  Church  papers  and  the  publication 
of  the  Ohio  State  Archaeological  and  Historical  Annual,  of  which 
society  he  is  a  life  member  and  was  a  trustee  for  thirteen  years 
by  the  appointment  of  the  Governors  of  Ohio. 

Dr.  Love  has  considerable  ability  as  an  artist  and,  as  a  matter 
of  recreation,  he  has  -painted  in  oil  some  very  valuable  pictures. 
Some  of  his  pictures  have  been  sold  to  good  judges  of  art,  and  his 
historical  pieces  half-toned  and  published  in  magazines  and  papers. 

REV.  LORING  C.  WEBSTER,  D.  D. 

The  following  letter  from  the  Rev.  Loring  C.  Webster,  D.  D., 
expresses  his  greetings  to  the  brethren  of  the  Central  Ohio  Con- 

336 


Surviving  Charter  Members. 


337 


REV.  NATHANIEL  B.  C.  LOVE,  D.  D.  MRS.  N.  B.  C.  LOVE. 


REV.  LORING  C.  WEBSTER,  D.  I). 
M 


REV.  ANDREW  J.  FRISBIE. 


338  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

ference  in  their  last  meeting.     This  beautiful  letter,  coming  from 
Dr.  Webster  at  his  age,  is  like  a  benediction: 

"DEAR  BRETHREN, — Having  been  a  member  of  the  Central  Ohio 
Annual  Conference  from  its  organization,  and  having  served  many 
of  the  charges  as  pastor  and  presiding  elder,  I  take  pleasure  in 
extending  greetings  to  all  now  living  whom  I  have  served,  and  kind 
remembrances  of  those  who  have  passed  to  their  reward,  the  latter 
greatly  outnumbering  the  former. 

"Also  being  one  of  the  three  surviving  members  of  the  Confer- 
ence at  its  organization  and  remembering  that  all  the  rest  are  gone, 
as  well  as  many  others  who  became  members  after  its  organization, 
a  feeling  of  loneliness,  sometimes  of  sadness,  comes  over  me. 

"From  the  viewpoint  of  over  eighty-three  years  of  life  and 
about  sixty  years  in  the  ministry,  I  survey  the  present  and  the  past 
with  astonishment  mingled  with  delight  and  regrets ;  but  with  a 
good  degree  of  health,  pleasant  surroundings,  and  a  lively  faith 
and  hope,  I  greet  the  living,  young  and  old,  cherish  the  memories 
of  the  dead,  clerical  and  lay,  and  await  the  undisclosed  issues  of 

the  hopeful  eternity. 

LORING  C.  WEBSTER. 

"760  East  Center  St.,  Marion,  Ohio." 

REV.  ANDREW  J.  FRISBIE. 

The  following  letter  from  Rev.  Andrew  J.  Frisbie  gives  in  a 
.brief  way  a  summary  of  his  ministry : 

"St.  Johns,  Ohio,  June  11,  1914. 

"My  DEAR  BROTHER, — I  may  not  be  able  to  give  you  all  the 
information  you  desire,  but  I  can  give  you  a  part  of  it  at  least. 

"I  traveled  twenty-eight  years,  two  years  under  the  appointment 
of  the  elder  and  twenty-six  years  in  the  Conference.  I  went 
through  mud  and  fearful  storms ;  received  about  three  thousand 
into  the  Church,  and  quite  a  large  number  made  the  profession 
of  perfect  love.  I  was  ordained  deacon  by  Bishop  Janes  in  1858, 
at  West  Liberty,  Ohio,  and  I  was  ordained  elder  by  Bishop  Morris 
in  1862,  at  Greenville,  Ohio. 

"Yours  very  truly,  "A.  J.  FRISBIE." 

Brother  Frisbie  has  been  in  the  Retired  relation  for  thirty-two 
years.  In  all  this  time  he  has  been  loyal  and  devoted  to  the  Church 
and  helpful  to  the  pastors  in  many  ways. 


Surviving  Charter  Members.  .      339 

REV.  JOSHUA  M.  LONGFELLOW. 

The  Rev.  Joshua  M.  Longfellow  was  born  in  Champaign 
County,  Ohio,  May  17,  1829,  and  died  in  Bellefontaine,  Ohio, 
February  21,  1914.  He  united  with  the  Central  Ohio  Conference 
at  its  first  session,  1856,  and  for  many  years  was  faithful  and 
efficient  as  an  itinerant,  especially  successful  in  evangelistic  work 
in  the  Great  Maumee  Valley.  He  was  an  able  preacher,  gifted 
with  an  extraordinary  voice  of  remarkable  volume  and  power.  He 
was  recognized  by  his  brethren  as  a  man  of  strictest  honor  and 
integrity.  He  always  maintained  his  ministerial  dignity,  yet  with 
cheerfulness  and  kindness. 

MRS.  N.  B.  C.  LOVE. 

The  following  letter,  sent  by  order  of  the  West  Ohio  Confer- 
ence at  its  first  session  in  Urbana,  shows  the  esteem  in  which  this 
elect  lady  is  held  by  the  Conference: 

"Urbana,  Ohio,  September  13,  1913. 
MRS.  N.  B.  C.  LOVE, 

Perrysburg,  Ohio. 

"My  Dear  Sister  in  Christ, — At  the  session  of  the  West  Ohio 
Conference,  held  yesterday,  on  motion  of  the  Rev.  Daniel  Carter, 
D.  D.,  associate  secretary  of  the  Conference,  by  its  unanimous  vote, 
the  secretary  was  instructed  to  convey  to  you  its  most  hearty  con- 
gratulations upon  your  having,  with  your  honored  husband,  reached 
the.  sixtieth  year  of  his  ministerial  life  and  work,  and  its  prayer 
that  the  evening  of  your  life  may  be  serene  and  peaceful,  and  its 
hours  filled  with  blessed  memories  of  a  long  and  useful  service  in 
the  vineyard  of  our  Lord.  On  behalf  of  the  members  of  the  West 
Ohio  Conference,  I  am  "Yours  very  sincerely, 

"V.  F.  BROWN,  Secretary." 


XXII. 

Transferred,   But  Not  Forgotten. 

REV.  C.  R.  HAVIGHURST,  D.  D.,  Rev.  T.  H.  Campbell,  Ph.  D., 
Rev.  H.  C.  Jameson,  D.  D.,  and  Rev.  R.  D.  Hollington,  Ph.  D., 
achieved  large  success  in  the  pastorate  in  their  native  Conference. 
They  are  sons  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference  who  have  answered 
the  call  to  enter  by  transfer  other  Conferences,  where  large  fields 
of  opportunity  and  service  were  open  to  them. 

As  pastor  of  the  leading  Churches  of  the  Conference,  or  dele- 
gate to  General  Conference,  or  district  superintendent,  in  one  or 
more — some  of  them  all — of  these  ways,  these  men  have  been 
trusted  and  honored  by  the  Conference. 

All  have  gone  from  us  in  recent  years.  The  first  of  the  four 
to  go  was  Dr.  Jameson,  who,  after  a  very  successful  career  in  the 
Cincinnati  Conference,  now  comes  back  home  again  as  a  member 
of  the  new  West  Ohio  Conference,  and  is  serving  a  second  pastorate 
at  First  Church,  Findlay. 

Dr.  Campbell,  after  building  the  splendid  new  Trinity  Church, 
Lima,  transferred  to  the  Ohio  Conference,  as  pastor  of  King  Avenue 
Church,  Columbus. 

Dr.  Havighurst  went  to  the  East  Ohio  Conference,  as  pastor 
of  the  great  First  Church,  Youngstown,  Ohio. 

Dr.  Hollington,  whose  father  was  one  of  the  leading  pastors 
of  the  Conference  in  its  early  days,  after  returning  to  St.  Paul's 
Church,  Toledo,  for  the  seventh  year,  making  the  longest  pastorate 
recorded  in  the  history  of  that  Church,  went  the  farthest  away, 
transferring  to  the  Southern  California  Conference,  as  pastor  of 
First  Church,  San  Diego. 

These  men  and  others  like  them,  who  have  gone  out  from  time 
to  time  to  other  Conferences  after  having  contributed  largely  to 
the  success  of  the  old  Central  Ohio,  will  not  be  forgotten. 


340 


Transferred,  But  Not  Forgotten.  341 


REV.  C.  R.  HAVIGHURST,  D.  D.  REV.  T.  H.  CAMPBELL,  PH.  D. 


REV.  H.  C.  JAMESON,  D.  D.  REV.  R.  D.  HOLLINGTON,  PH.  D. 


XXIII. 


Some  Lay  Leaders. 

HON.  JOHN  M.  KILLITS,  LL.  D. 

JOHN  MILTON  KILLITS  was  born  in  Fairfield  County,  Ohio,  October 
7,  1858.  He  was  educated  in  the  Bryan  public  school,  Oberlin  Col- 
lege Preparatory  Department,  Williams  College  (A.  B.,  1880; 
A.  M.,  1887;  LL.  D.,  1914),  Columbian  University  Law  School 
(LL.  B.,  1885;  LL.  M.,  1886).  He  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
law  in  Bryan,  1888-1904;  was  elected  prosecuting  attorney  of  Wil- 
liams County,  1893-1899;  judge  of 
Court  of  Common  Pleas,  Third  Dis- 
trict of  Ohio,  1905-1910;  appointed 
judge  of  United  States  District 
Court,  Northern  District  of  Ohio, 
June  21,  1910,  and  removed  to  To- 
ledo in  September,  1910. 

He  was  raised  a  Presbyterian, 
and  first  joined  a  Congregational 
Church.  He  joined  the  Bryan  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  March  7, 
1898,  serving  as  superintendent  of 
the  Bryan  Methodist  Sunday  school, 
1904-1909,  and  as  superintendent  of 

St.  Paul's  Sunday  school,  Toledo,  since  1911.  He  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  last  two  General  Conferences — Baltimore,  1908, 
and  Minneapolis,  1912. 

He  was  editor  and  publisher  of  the  Daily  and  Weekly  Express, 
Red  Oak,  Iowa,  1881-1883;  editor  of  publications  of  Signal  Bureau 
at  Washington,  1884-1887.  He  is  a  trustee  of  Flower  Deaconess 
Home  and  Hospital  of  Toledo,  and  vice-president  of  its  Board  of 
Trustees.  In  November,  1913,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
Charter  Commission  to  prepare  a  new  charter  for  the  city  of  Toledo. 

342 


Some  Lay  Leaders.  343 


Judge  Killits  is  one  of  the  most  able  and  influential,  loyal  and 
devoted  laymen  of  the  Conference.  He  is  a  broad-minded,  mag- 
nanimous, Christian  gentleman,  a  widely  recognized  leader  of  the 
forces  that  make  for  righteousness  in  Toledo  and  Northern  Ohio. 

MR.  EDWIN  R.  GRAHAM. 

Edwin  R.  Graham,  son  of  the  Rev.  John  and  Jane  Glawgow  Mc- 
Kee  Graham,  was  born  at  Upper  Sandusky,  Ohio,  on  May  7,  1854. 


He  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of  B.  S.  at  Baldwin  University, 
Berea,  Ohio,  in  1874,  and  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  till  1881, 
when  he  entered  the  Methodist  Book  Concern  at  Cincinnati  and 


344  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


became  greatly  interested  in  the  manufacturing  department  of  the 
Publishing  House  of  the  Methodist  Church.  In  1888  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Mary  Hawthorne  Dolliver,  of  Fort  Dodge,  Iowa.  andmtwo 
sons  have  been  born  to  them. 

In  1893  he  became  Western  representative  for  Messrs.  Hough- 
ton,  Mifflin  &  Co.,  publishers,  of  Boston,  and  held  this  connection 
when  elected  Publishing  Agent  of  the  Western  Methodist  Book 
Concern,  with  residence  at  Chicago,  by  the  General  Conference  of 
1904.  He  was  re-elected  to  this  office  by  the  General  Conferences 
of  1908  and  1912.  He  is  a  trustee  of  Baldwin  University,  having 
been  elected  in  June,  1908.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  Fourth  Ecu- 
menical Conference  of  the  Methodists,  which  was  held  in  Toronto, 
Canada,  in  1911.  He  lives  in  Evanston,  111.,  with  a  summer  place 
at  Richwood,  Ohio,  the  home  of  his  parents  during  their  declining 
years. 

Since  his  connection  with  the  Book  Concern  as  Resident  Agent 
at  Chicago,  he  has  gained  the  respect  of  all  who  know  him  through 
Conference  visitation  and  business  relations  by  his  tactful  dealings, 
and  he  has  endeared  himself  to  all  employed  about  the  house  by  his 
earnest  efforts  to  better  working  conditions ;  and  he  has  brought 
many  business  methods  to  bear  upon  the  operation  of  the  Book 
Concern  which  have  brought  splendid  results  in  those  departments 
in  which  they  are  used. 

MRS.  FLORENCE  D.  RICHARDS. 

PRESIDENT     OHIO     WOMAN'S     CHRISTIAN     TEMPERANCE     UNION. 

Mrs.  Florence  D.  Richards  was  born  in  Ohio;  joined  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  and  says  of  herself, 
"Whatever  I  am  or  hope  to  be,  the  Church  and  its  influence  have 
made  me."  A  member  of  the  Missionary  Society  ever  since  she  be- 
came a  member  of  the  Church ;  twice  elected  a  delegate  to  the  Gen- 
eral Conference.  Was  a  teacher  in  the  Sunday  school  for  thirty 
years,  and  also  taught  in  the  public  schools  for  fifteen  years.  Took 
a  degree  in  Northwestern  University,  and  a  teacher's  course  in 
Lebanon,  Ohio.  Did  post-graduate  work  and  took  a  degree  at 
Zurich,  Switzerland.  Became  a  member  of  the  Ohio  Woman's 
Christian  Temperance  Union  in  1888,  and  is  now  State  president 
of  36.000  loyal  White  Ribboners.  Has  spoken  in  Chautauquas. 


Some  Lay  Leaders. 


345 


on  lecture  courses,  and  on  the  temperance  platform  for  twenty-five 
years,  in  every  State  and  Territory  of  the  Union,  different  provinces 
of  Canada,  and  eighteen  countries  across  the  sea. 

Mrs.  Florence  D.  Richards  is  a  woman  whom  the  Central  Ohio 
Conference  delighted  to  honor  and  of  whom  it  is  justly  proud. 


XXIV. 

Conference  Roll  and  Pastoral  Record. 

THE  following  list  in  a  brief  way  gives  the  pastoral  record  of  all 
who  were  members  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference  at  the  time  of 
its  union  with  the  Cincinnati  Conference  (1913),  as  nearly  com- 
plete as  could  be  made  from  the  Conference  Minutes  and  the  reports 
returned  by  the  members  on  blanks  sent  to  them  by  the  Publishing 
Committee. 

EXPLANATION. — To  save  space  and  avoid  repetition,  the  follow- 
ing method  of  abbreviation  was  adopted:  The  figures  immediately 
following  the  name  indicate  the  year  when  each  one  entered  the 
Central  Ohio  Conference;  then  follows  in  chronological  order  the 
list  of  charges  served  as  pastor,  where  such  list  has  been  reported 
by  the  member,  otherwise  the  present  appointment  only  is  given ; 
where  figures  are  given  after  the  name  of  a  charge,  they  indicate 
the  years  of  service  as  pastor  of  that  charge;  if  a  member  is  in 
the  supernumerary  relation,  "Sn."  indicates  that  fact,  and  the  date 
when  he  took  that  relation  is  given  in  figures  following;  if  in  the 
retired  relation,  "Rt."  indicates  that,  and  the  date  of  his  retirement 
follows ;  the  present  address  of  those  not  in  the  effective  relation 
is  given  where  known. 

ALTMAN,   JOHN    S.,    1903 — Sherwood;    Holgate;    Harpster;    Belle 

Center. 
ARMINGTON,  WILLIAM  B.,  1899 — Vanlue,  2;  Oak  Harbor,  3;  Ep- 

worth,  Toledo,  5 ;  Sidney,  5 ;  built  the  Sunday  school  portion  of 

Epworth  Church,  Toledo,  and  the  new  $75,000  Sidney  Church, 

raising  $81,000  with  which  to  pay  for  it. 

ARMBRUST,  JOSEPH  H.,  1908 — Attending  school,  Boston,  Mass. 
AUSTIN,  CYRUS  B.,  1881 — Professor  of  Mathematics,  Ohio  Wesleyan 

University,  1880-1905;  professor  Mathematics  and  Astronomy 

since    1 906 ;   dean   of   Women   and   of   the   Conservatory,   Ohio 

Wesleyan  University,  Delaware,  Ohio. 

346 


REV.  JOHN  S.  ALTMAN. 


REV.  ADAM  C.  BARNES,  D.  D. 


REV.  ARATUS  BARKER. 


REV.  CHARLES  S.  BARRON. 


REV.  HARMOUNT  BAUMGARDNER.  REV.  GEORGE  H.  BEASCHLEH. 


348  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

ASCHAM,  JOHN  B.,  1897 — Epworth,  Toledo,  4. 

BAILEY,  DAVID  HOMER,  1888 — Sherwood,  2;  Stryker,  4;  Perrys- 
burg,  5;  Broadwaj^,  Toledo,  2;  Fremont,  4;  Epworth,  Marion,  6; 
superintendent  of  Bellefontaine  District,  2 ;  superintendent  De- 
fiance District. 

BARKER,  ARATUS,  1884 — Dawn;  Archbold;  Ayersville;  Florida; 
Deshler;  Scott;  Edgerton;  Tontogany;  Liberty  Center;  Betts- 
ville;  Lafayette;  Lockington;  Zanesfield;  Stryker.  Preached  in 
Rock  River  Conference  as  student  supply  in  1883-84;  gradu- 
ated from  Garrett  Biblical  Institute,  1884.  Rt.,  1912;  Wau- 
seon,  Ohio. 

BARNES,  ADAM  C.,  1861 — Elida;  Ottawa;  Wapakoneta;  Delta; 
Edgerton ;  Mt.  Blanchard ;  McComb ;  Weston ;  Port  Clinton ; 
Fremont;  Bluffton;  Ada:  Marion;  presiding  elder  Findlay  Dis- 
trict; presiding  elder  Toledo  District;  Mt.  Victory;  Prospect. 
"I  entered  Conference  fifty-three  years  ago  next  September 
[1914],  before  improved  roads  or  telephone,  when  the  woods 
were  full  of  bears,  deer,  wild  turkeys,  etc.  I  preached  three 
and  four  times  a  day,  and  had  a  good  time."  Secretary  of  the 
Board  of  Conference  Stewards  for  many  years.  Rt.  1899; 
Findlay,  Ohio. 

BARNES,  CHARLES  WESLEY,  1904,  from  Cincinnati  Conference — 
William  Street,  Delaware,  6;  Fostoria,  4. 

BARRON,  CHARLES  SCHELL,  1883 — Mendon;  Florida;  Montpelier; 
Versailles;  Spencerville ;  West  Mansfield;  Oak  Harbor;  Ross- 
ford  ;  Maumee ;  Grand  Rapids ;  Elmore ;  Bettsville ;  Liberty 
Center;  Mason. 

BAUMGARDNER,  STEWART,  1884 — Perrysburg,  Ohio. 

BAUMGARDNER,  JACOB  M.,  1886 — Sn.  1911;  St.  Marys,  Ohio. 

BAUMGARDNER,  MAURICE  DAVID,  1889 — St.  John's^.  Toledo,  Ohio. 

BAUMGARDNER,  GILL  M.,  1907 — Payne,  Ohio. 

BAUMGARDNER,  HARMOUNT,  1911 — Huntsville,  2;  Zanesfield,  2. 

BANKS,  Louis  ALBERT,  1911,  from  St.  Louis  Conference — Evan- 
gelist, Delaware,  Ohio. 

BEALL,  SAMUEL  A.,  1906 — Edgerton,  Ohio. 

BEASCHLER,  GEORGE  H.,  1899 — Wharton;  Harpster;  York  Center; 
Green  Camp;  Dunkirk;  Rossburg;  Mt.  Blanchard.  Sn.  1909; 
Carey,  Ohio. 


REV.  JOSEPH  BENNETT. 


REV.  PETER  BIGGS. 


REV.  JOSEPH  H.  BETHARDS,  D.  D. 


REV.  N.  S.  BRACKNEY. 


REV.  DAVID  BRANDEBERRY.  REV.  HIRAM  C.  BURGER. 


350  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

BENNETT,  CHARLES,  1890 — Radnor;  New  Dover;  Kenton  Circuit; 
West  Mansfield;  Richwood;  Bryan;  Upper  Sandusky;  St. 
John's,  Toledo;  Celina;  Napoleon.  Graduated  at  Drew  Theo- 
logical Seminary  in  1896. 

BENNETT,  JOSEPH,  1908 — Hardin  Circuit;  Ansonia  Circuit;  St. 
John's  Circuit;  Lafayette  Circuit.  Trenton,  Nebraska,  four 
years  as  Home  Missionary. 

BETHARDS,  JOSEPH  H.,  1872 — Marysville  Circuit;  Third  Street,  To- 
ledo; Perrysburg;  Upper  Sandusky;  William  Street,  Delaware; 
Sidney;  St.  John's,  Toledo;  Broadway,  Toledo;  Trinity,  Lima; 
St.  John's,  Toledo;  Celina;  Defiance;  Kenton;  presiding  elder 
Defiance  District,  6.  Sn..  1907;  Rt.,  1912;  Toledo,  Ohio. 

BIGGS,  PETER,  1872 — Arcadia;  Prairie  Depot;  West  Cairo;  Celina; 
Weston;  Tontogany ;  Elmore;  Delta;  Columbus  Grove;  Bloom- 
dale;  DeGraff;  Grace  Church,  Lima;  St.  Marys;  Ada;  Forest; 
Delphos;  Howard  Church,  Findlay.  Sn.,  1903;  Rt.,  1908; 
Findlay,  Ohio. 

BIGLEY,  HAMILTON  J.,  1863 — Paterson  Circuit,  1;  Mt.  Victory,  3; 
Zanesfield,  2;  Bryan,  3;  Napoleon,  3;  South  Toledo,  2;  Bryan, 
3;  Detroit,  3;  Marysville,  3;  DeGraff,  3;  North  Lewisburg,  5. 
Sn.,  1894;  Rt.,  1899;  Bellefontaine,  Ohio. 

BOLTON,  JOSEPH  C.,  1886 — East  Liberty,  2;  West  Cairo,  1;  Hoyts- 
ville,  1;  Melrose,  1.  Sn.,  1891;  Rt.,  1896;  Winchester,  Ohio. 

BOWEKS,  DAVID,  1872 — Prospect,  Ohio. 

BOWERSOX,  ALBERT  S.,  1906 — Rossburg  Circuit,  4;  Lockington  Cir- 
cuit, 3;  Pemberville,  2;  Western  Avenue,  Toledo,  2. 

BRACKNEY,  NATHAN  S.,  1883 — Stryker,  1;  Bettsville,  2;  Oak  Har- 
bor, 3 ;  Collingwood,  Toledo,  4 ;  Spencerville,  5 ;  Weston,  4 ; 
Gibsonburg,  1;  Asbury,  Toledo,  4;  Rossford  and  Dowling,  1; 
Central,  Toledo,  2;  Spring  Street,  Toledo,  1;  "Y."  Mission, 
Toledo,  1. 

BRACKNEY,  WILLIAM  MCKENDREE,  1894 — York;  Harpster;  sup- 
plied Glendale,  Everett,  Mass.,  one  year,  while  in  Boston  Uni- 
versity School  of  Theology  ;  Waterville ;  Wauseon ;  First  Church, 
Ada;  First  Church,  Marysville;  superintendent  of  Delaware 
District,  6;  First  Church,  Kenton. 

BRACKNEY,  WILLIAM  S.,  1907,  from  Holston  Conference — Rt., 
1911;  Belle  Center,  Ohio. 


REV.  AARON  J.  BUSSARD.  REV.  WILLIAM  R.  BURTON. 


REV.  STEPHEN  J.  COLGAN.  REV.  WALTER  E.  CHILES. 


352  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


BRANDEBERRY,  DAVID,  1895 — Hoytville,  1;  Bettsville,  2;  Gilboa,  2; 
Cridersville,  3;  Holgate,  2;  Fostoria  Circuit,  4.  Sn.,  1913; 
Bloomdale,  Ohio. 

BROWN,  HENRY  A.,  1869 — Ayersville;  Independence;  White  House; 
Elmore;  Napoleon;  Delhi;  Stryker;  Edgerton;  Fayette;  West 
Unity.  Built  church  at  White  House  and  Oak  Grove,  on  the 
Stryker  Charge.  Rt.,  1888;  White  Pigeon,  Michigan. 

BURGER,  HIRAM  C.,  1896 — Broadway;  Wesley,  Marion;  New  Dover; 
Rossburg;  Bradford;  Kenton  Circuit;  Ansonia;  Hardin;  Port 
Jefferson;  Pemberville;  McClure;  Liberty  Center;  Sylvania; 
Cygnet. 

BUSSARD,  AARON  J..  1896 — McClure,  5;  Hardin,  2;  South  Ada,  1; 
LaRue,  3 ;  Quincy,  3 ;  Elida,  2 ;  Convoy,  2. 

BURTON,  WILLIAM  R.,  1903 — Dixon,  2;  Cridersville,  3;  Rockford, 
4;  Kalida,  1;  Bluffton,  1. 

BUTLER,  JOHN  H.,  1906 — Bluffton,  Ohio. 

CATER,  JOSEPH  H.,  1872- — Ayersville;  West  Unity;  Sylvania; 
Forest;  Celina;  Wapakoneta;  Dunkirk;  Vanlue;  Belleville; 
Lockington ;  Anna ;  Spencerville ;  Ohio  City ;  Gilboa ;  Vanlue. 
Rt.,  1906;  Ada,  Ohio. 

CARTER,  DANIEL,  1878 — Rawson;  Ft.  Recovery;  Larue;  Mt.  Vic- 
tory ;  North  Lewisburg ;  Ada ;  Spencerville ;  Delta ;  Celina ;  Mon- 
roe Street,  Toledo;  Leipsic;  DeGraff;  Clark  Street,  Toledo; 
Wauseon ;  McComb ;  Columbus  Grove ;  Fayette.  Withdrew  from 
Conference  in  1880  to  go  to  Ohio  Wesleyan  University;  re- 
admitted after  graduation,  in  1883.  Secretary  of  Conference  for 
ten  years,  until  its  union  with  Cincinnati  Conference. 

CARTER,  ROBERT  E.,  1895,  from  Des  Moines  Conference — Sylvania; 
West  Toledo ;  Western  Avenue,  Toledo ;  Wesley,  Marion ;  North 
Lewisburg;  Forest;  Edgerton;  Antwerp;  Bradner.  Missionary 
in  India  eight  years,  and  built  the  first  Methodist  church  in  Ran- 
goon, in  1879. 

CHAMPION,  FREDERICK  T.,  1906 — Sn.,  1912;  evangelist,  Pauld- 
ing.  Ohio. 

CHILES,  WALTER  E.,  1908 — Arlington,  2;  Lafayette,  4;  Rawson,  1. 

CHILES,  CLARENCE  D.,  1912 — Arlington,  Ohio. 

COLOAN,  STEPHEN  J.,  1886 — Sherwood;  Gilboa;  Holgate;  Williams 
Center;  Grand  Rapids;  Dupont;  Scott;  Oakwood.  Rt.,  1912; 
Oakwood,  Ohio. 


Conference  Roll  and  Pastoral  Record. 


353 


REV.  HERBERT  T.  COONTZ. 


REV.  JONATHAN  C.  CRIDER. 


COOKE,  EDWIN  D.,  1891 — Maumee. 

COONTZ,  HERBERT  T.,  1907 — Associate  pastor,  Epworth,  Toledo; 
Bradford ;  served  as  pastor  at  West  Duxbury,  while  a  student 
at  Boston  University  School  of  Theology,  People's  Church, 
Haverhill,  Mass.;  City  Point  Church,  Boston,  Mass. 

CONSTEIN,  WILLIAM,  1896 — Second  Street,  Lima,  Ohio. 

CRAMER,  CHARLES  B.,  1894 — Celina  Circuit,  2;  Cridersville,  2; 
Lakeside,  Lynn,  Mass.,  as  a  student  of  the  Boston  University 
School  of  Theology,  3 ;  Mendon,  4 ;  Spencerville,  3 ;  Richwood, 
4;  Mt.  Victory,  2. 

CREECH,  F.  L.,  1912,  from  Kentucky  Conference — Van  Wert  Cir- 
cuit; Van  Wert,  Ohio. 

CRIDER,  JONATHAN  C.,  1883 — Paulding,  2;  Stryker,  2;  Pioneer,  3; 
Hector,  1 ;  Antwerp,  3 ;  Rushsylvania,  2 ;  Western  Avenue,  To- 
ledo, 3;  St.  James,  Toledo,  3;  Huntsville,  2;  McComb  Circuit, 
3 ;  Kenton  Circuit,  3 ;  Metamora,  2 ;  Liberty  Center. 

CRIST,  ELWOOD  O.,  1898 — Anna,  1;  Hardin,  1;  Quincy,  5;  First 
Church,  Findlay,  3 ;  superintendent  Toledo  District,  G ;  office, 
629  Nasby  Building,  Toledo,  Ohio. 

CRIST,  AUSTIN  M.,  1895 — Sn.,  1909;  in  Anti-Saloon  League  work, 
Bald  Mountain,  Colo. 

COLLINGE,  CHARLES  W.,  1903 — Entered  the  Central  Ohio  Confer- 
ence on  trial  in  1880;  discontinued  to  go  to  school,  1881 ;  entered 
North  Dakota  Conference,  1889;  transferred  to  Northern  Min- 

83 


354  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

nesota  Conference,  1900;  1903,  transferred  to  Central  Ohio  Con- 
ference; Western  Avenue,  Toledo,  1 ;  Prairie  Depot,  3 ;  Central 
Avenue,  Toledo.  2 ;  St.  James,  Toledo,  2 ;  Waterville ;  Gibson- 
burg;  Bethany,  Toledo.  Secretary  Conference  Endowment 
Fund ;  Monroe  Street  Church,  Toledo. 

COLE,  ERNEST  C.,  1900 — Archbold,  Ohio. 

CROW,  PRICE  ALEXANDER,  1910,  from  Erie  Conference — First 
Church,  Kenton;  St.  Paul's,  Defiance. 

GULP,  WILLIAM  S.,  1888 — Spencerville  Circuit;  Vanlue. 

CUMMINGS,  WILLIAM  F.,  1908 — Van  Wert,  2;  Scott,  2;  Holgate,  2; 
Stryker,  1. 

CURL,  WILBUR  W.,  1892 — Roundhead;  Rawson;  Arcadia;  Dunkirk; 
Edge'rton ;  Rockford ;  Cridersville ;  Shanee ;  assistant,  Sidney. 
Sn.,  1913;  Anna,  Ohio. 

CUSTAR,  A.  R.,  1906,  from  East  Ohio  Conference — Paulding,  Ohio. 

CUPPETT,  PARSON  B.,  1898 — Marysville  Circuit;  Willshire;  Bloom- 
dale;  Elida;  Montpelier;  Ottawa;  North  Baltimore.  Sn.,  1913; 
Delaware,  Ohio. 

DAILEY,  ELLIS  T.,  1888 — Celina  Circuit;  Ft.  Recovery;  McCutch- 
enville  Circuit;  Ada  Circuit;  Epworth,  Lima;  Van  Wert  Circuit; 
Bluffton ;  Mt.  Blanchard ;  Huntsville ;  Versailles ;  Sylvania. 

DAVENPORT,  CHARLES  R.,  1900 — Williams  Center,  3;  Pemberville, 
3 ;  Swanton,  8. 

DAVIS,  EDWIN  L.,  1896 — Bradford;  West  Liberty;  Kalida;  Mc- 
Comb;  DcGraff ;  Leipsic. 

DAY,  ALBERT  E.,  1904 — Bellefontaine  Circuit,  2;  West  Liberty,  3;. 
Bradford,  1 ;  St.  Paris,  3 ;  Hyde  Park,  Cincinnati. 

DEAL,  WILLIAM,  1862 — Delphos;  St.  Marys;  Elida;  Marion;  West 
Liberty ;  Delta ;  Bryan ;  Broadway,  Toledo ;  Elida ;  Columbus 
Grove;  Spencerville;  Radnor;  South  Ada;  Mt.  Blanchard; 
Bluffton;  Port  Jefferson;  Moulton;  Arlington;  Bradford- 
Gettysburg.  Rt.,  1907;  Ada,  Ohio. 

DELANOY,  AUGUSTUS  E.,  1892 — York,  Ohio. 

DONNAN,  JOHN  W.,  1879 — New  Dover,  Ohio. 

DUMM,  WILLIAM  T..  1898 — Bradner;  Perrysburg;  Gibsonburg;  ow- 
ing to  impaired  health  in  1905,  removed  to  Wyoming.  After  two 
years  he  resumed  the  active  ministry  and  served  New  Castle  and 
Laramie,  charges  in  the  Wyoming  Mission.  In  November,  1912,. 
he  was  appointed  acting  superintendent  of  the  Wyoming  Mis- 


REV.  JOHN  W.  DONNAN. 


REV.  WILLIAM  T.  DUMM. 


REV.  EDMUND  S.  DUNHAM,  D.  D.  REV.  RAY  DRUMMOND. 


REV.  ANDREW  J.  FISH,  D.  D. 


356  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

sion,  and  at  the  end  of  the  Conference  year  was  appointed 
superintendent,  which  position  he  now  holds,  residing  at  Chey- 
enne, Wyoming. 

DUNHAM,  EDMUND  S.,  1873 — Millbury,  2;  Montpelier,  3;  Liberty 
Center,  3 ;  Monroe  Street,,  Toledo,  3 ;  Wauseon,  1  ;  Carey,  3 ; 
Bluffton,  3 ;  Richwood  Circuit,  2 ;  Conference  evangelist,  20. 
Attended  seventy-six  sessions  of  Annual  Conferences  in  thirty- 
eight  States,  with  eleven  bishops,  to  conduct  Pentecostal  serv- 
ices ;  ten  years  with  Bishop  Joyce  in  forty-three  of  his  Con- 
ferences. Rt.,  1913;  Delaware,  Ohio. 

DUNHAM,  SAMUEL  R.,  1906 — Second  Street,  Lima;  Spencerville ; 
Riverdale,  Dayton. 

DRUMMOND,  RAY,  1908 — Grover  Hill,  1;  Williams  Center,  1;  mis- 
sion work  in  Wyoming,  1 ;  Northwest  Iowa  Conference,  1 ;  Conti- 
nental, 1 ;  St.  Johns. 

DECKER,  SHIRLEY  H.,  1909 — St.  Marys  Circuit;  St.  Marys,  Ohio. 
Died  April  18,  1914. 

EDGE,  JAMES,  1912 — Ft.  Recovery,  Ohio. 

EKEY,  JOHN  B.,  1912,  from  East  Ohio  Conference — Student  of  Gar- 
rett  Biblical  Institute,  Evanston,  111. 

ERNSBERGER,  WILLIAM  F.,  1893 — Rt.,  1907;  Ada,  Ohio. 

FIGLEY,  MELVIN  M.,  1862 — Wapakoneta;  Third  Street,  Toledo; 
Ada ;  Asbury,  Delaware ;  Sidney ;  Trinity,  Lima ;  Van  Wert ; 
Belief ontaine ;  superintendent  Lima  District. 

FINLAY,  JOSEPH  J.,  1868 — Forest;  Belle  Center;  St.  Marys;  Bluff- 
ton;  Metamora;  Kenton  Circuit;  Jackson  Center;  Kalida.  Rt., 
1881  ;  Kenton,  Ohio. 

FISH,  ANDREW  J.,  1867 — Quincy,  2;  Elida,  1 ;  Delphos,  3;  Bluffton. 
1  ;  Greenville,  3:  Richwood,  1 ;  Defiance,  2;  Van  Wert,  3;  Third 
Street  (Euclid  Avemie),  Toledo,  1;  First  Church,  Findlay,  3; 
Trinity,  Lima,  4 ;  St.  John's,  Toledo,  5 ;  First  Church,  Van  Wert, 
3 ;  presiding  elder  Bellefontaine  District,  6 ;  Bowling  Green,  1 ; 
financial  secretar}r  Board  of  Conference  Stewards,  2.  Dur- 
ing thirty-nine  years  of  ministry  received  into  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  2,300  persons;  married  1,513  couples; 
baptized  2,700  persons;  conducted  over  1,500  funerals;  lectured 
and  gave  addresses  in  twenty-nine  States  of  the  Union;  gave 
memorial  addresses  on  Decoration  Day  thirty-five  years  in  suc- 
cession, and  preached  in  some  pulpit  every  Sunday  excepting 
ten  during  the  whole  time.  Sn.,  1906;  Rt.,  1911 ;  Denver,  Colo. 


Conference  Roll  and  Pastoral  Record.  357 

FITZWATER,  JAMES  H.,  1883 — Delta;  Arcanum;  Wauseon;  First 
Church,  Van  Wert ;  First  Church,  Ogden  City,  Utah ;  presiding 
elder  Lima  District;  First  Church,  Kenton;  presiding  elder  of 
Defiance  District;  presiding  elder  Delaware  District.  For  a 
quadrennium  a  member  of  the  General  Missionary  Committee — 
Foreign  and  Home  Missions  and  Educational  Boards,  and  the 
Freedmen's  Aid  Society ;  three  years  field  secretary  of  the 
Board  of  Home  Missions ;  superintendent  of  Findlay  District ; 
Delaware,  Ohio. 

FRISBIE,  ANDREW  J.,  1856,  at  first  session  of  the  Conference — 
Zanesfield;  Fort  Recovery;  Celina;  Shanesville;  Hardin;  St. 
Johns;  Marysville;  Van  Wert  Circuit;  Richwood;  Bluffton;  Mt. 
Victory;  Gibsonburg;  Vanlue  and  Junction.  One  of  the  three 
living  charter  members  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference.  Rt., 
1882;  St.  Johns,  Ohio. 

FULKERSON,  CHARLES,   1892 — Asbury,  Toledo,  Ohio. 

FULLER,  M.  B.,  1911,  from  Cincinnati  Conference — Trinity,  Lima, 
Ohio. 

FLORY,  S.  H.,  1912,  from  East  Ohio  Conference — Prairie  Depot,  O. 

GAMBLE,  ENOCH  F.,  1893 — Rt.,  1908;  Van  Wert,  Ohio. 

GIVEN,  SAMUEL,  1892 — Kalida;  Hoytville;  South  Ada;  Tontogany; 
Grand  Rapids;  Spencerville  Circuit;  Versailles;  Lockington; 
Gilboa;  Mt.  Blanchard;  Roundhead;  Marseilles;  New  Dover; 
East  Kenton;  Florida;  Cridersville ;  Clarksville.  The  last  sta- 
tistical secretary  of  the  Conference. 

GIBSON,  JAMES  W.,  1890 — Central  Avenue,  Toledo,  1 ;  East  Kenton 
Circuit,  1 ;  St.  Paris,  5 ;  McComb,  2 ;  Columbus  Grove,  2 ;  How- 
ard Church,  Findlay.  3. 

GORDON,  BENJAMIN  F.,  1888 — Holgate;  Ayersville,  2;  Bethany, 
Toledo;  Edon;  Pajrne;  Pulaski;  Roundhead;  Antwerp;  Pember- 
ville;  McClure;  Grand  Rapids. 

GOTTSCHALL,  JOHN  B.,  1896 — Gilboa  and  Pandora,  2;  Bloomdale, 
2;  Willshire,  5;  Delphos,  2;  Mendon,  7. 

GRESSLEY,  Louis  H.,  1896 — Central  Avenue  and  Spring  Street, 
Toledo;  Grand  Rapids;  Bethany,  Toledo;  Deshler;  Stryker; 
Montpelier;  Delphos. 

GREEN,  WILLIAM  J.,  1889 — South  Bluffton;  Gilboa;  Mt.  Blanchard; 
Rawson;  Arcadia;  Columbus  Grove;  Carey;  McComb.  Served 
twenty-five  years,  all  in  Findlay  District. 


358  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

GUILD,  LEWIS  T.,  1911,  from  Southern  California  Conference — 
St.  Paul's,  Toledo,  2 ;  Fargo,  N.  D.,  editor  newspaper. 

HAGERMAN,  WILLIAM  J.,  1890 — Celina  Circuit;  West  Cairo;  Elida ; 
North  Baltimore ;  Grace  Church,  Lima ;  Leipsic ;  St.  John's, 
Toledo;  Carey. 

HALLIDAY,  JOHN  J.,  1900 — Sn.,  1909;  Delaware,  Ohio. 

HALL,  DAVID  G.,  1894— McCutchenville,  1;  Wharton,  2;  Port  Jef- 
ferson, 6 ;  Rawson,  2 ;  Kenton,  3 ;  Forest,  4 ;  Hicksville,  2. 

HARFORD,  ALIDA  E.,  1899 — President  Children's  Home  Association, 
Worthington,  Ohio. 

HARFORD,  W \LDEN  M.,  1909,  from  East  Ohio  Conference — Genoa, 
4;  Oak  Harbor. 

HARSHKARGER.  JONAS  F.,  1883 — Jackson  Center,  2;  Versailles,  3; 
Quincy,  5;  Carey,  2;  St.  Marys,  6;  Fostoria,  6;  superintendent 
Defiance  District,  6 ;  Fremont. 

HARTHAN,  FREDERICK  W..  1907 — Stryker,  4;  Middlepoint. 

HEISTAND,  CLARE  B.,  1904 — McComb  Circuit,  2;  Dunkirk,  2;  West 
Mansfield,  5. 

HELMS,  DAVID  F.,  1882 — Xew  Madison;  Anna,  3;  Wapakoneta, 
5 ;  Wauseon,  3 ;  Columbus  Grove,  5 ;  Fayette,  4 ;  Hicksville,  7 ; 
Paulding,  2;  Broadway,  Toledo. 

HENDERSON,  ISAIAH  R.,  1857,  one  year  after  organization  of  Con- 
ference— Marseilles ;  Shannon ;  West  Unity ;  Williams  Center ; 
Wauseon;  Carey;  White  Sulphur;  Lima;  Findlay;  Marion;  St. 
John's,  Toledo;  Van  Wert;  presiding  elder  Findlay  District; 
Kenton;  presiding  elder  Lima  District;  Xarmon,  Oklahoma. 
Rt.,  1894;  Columbus,  Ohio,  708  Oakwood. 

HICKERNELL,  CALVIN  B.,  1884 — Rt.,  1893;  Ada,  Ohio. 

HIGBIE,  FRANK  E.,  1889 — Rawson;  Bloomdale;  Gibsonburg;  Larue; 
Wauseon;  Ottawa;  Cygnet;  Clark  Street,  Toledo. 

HILL,  JOHN  W.,  1869,  from  United  Brethren  Church— Rt.,  1895; 
Ada,  Ohio.  Died  January  22,  1913. 

HILL,  JOHN  L.,  1893 — Sn.,  1912;  Bowling  Green,  Ohio. 

HILLERY,  JAMES  O.,  1908 — Raymond,  3;  Green  Camp,  1;  Bloom- 
dale,  2. 

HODGE,  JOHN  W.,  1893 — Rossville  and  Ansonia,  1;  Allentown,  1; 
Scott,  2;  Archbold,  1;  Kalida,  3;  DeGraff  Circuit,  1;  Sher- 
wood, 1;  Grover  Hill,  3;  Pioneer,  3;  East  Kenton  Circuit,  3; 
Kenton  Circuit. 


REV.  B.  F.  GORDON. 


REV.  ISAIAH  R.  HENDERSON. 


REV.  DAVID  G.  HALL. 


REV.  JAMES  O.  HILLERY. 


REV.  JOHN  W.  HODGE. 


REV.  CARLISLE  B.  HOLDING. 


360  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

HODGE,  HARLEY  W.,  1905 — Elmore. 

HOFFMAN,  CHARLES  W.,  1897 — North  Lewisburg,  3;  West  Mans- 
field, 3;  Fayette,  6;  Wauseon,  5. 

HOFFMAN,  JACOB  A.,  1891 — St.  Paris,  1;  Gettysburg,  2;  Zanes- 
field,  2;  Fayette.  4;  Paulding,  6;  Fremont,  4;  Bowling  Green,  5. 

HOLDING,  CARLISLE  B.,  1873— Clark  Street,  Toledo,  5;  Forest,  1; 
Elmore,  1 ;  Ottawa,  3 ;  Belle  Center,  1 ;  Grand  Rapids  and 
Tontogany,  1 ;  Maumee  and  Rossford  supply,  three  months ; 
Trilby,  2.  Associate  editor  the  Michigan  Christian  Advocate, 
taking  place  of  Dr.  Joseph  F.  Berry  when  he  was  elected  editor 
of  Epworth  Herald,  until  time  of  transfer  to  Central  Ohio  Con- 
ference; author  of  eight  books  published  by  the  Book  Concern. 
Rt,  1908;  Toledo,  Ohio. 

HOLLAND,  JOHN  W.,  1883 — Lima  Circuit;  Spencerville ;  Delphos; 
Bowling  Green ;  Howard  Church,  Findlay ;  Fremont ;  Broad- 
way, Toledo;  Upper  Sandusky,  8;  Clifton  Avenue,  Springfield. 

HOLMES,  J.  ARCHIBALD,.  1904 — McCutchensville ;  Beaver  Dam; 
Rawson ;  Oak  Harbor ;  Euclid  Avenue,  Toledo. 

HOOK,  FRANK  L..  1896— Elida. 

HOOK,  WILLIAM,  1888 — Collingwood,  Toledo. 

HORNE,  JOHN  W.,  1902,  from  Des  Moines  Conference — Pioneer,  5; 
Harpster,  1 ;  Rushsylvania,  6. 

HOUSEL,  THOMAS  H.,  1911,  from  Ohio  Conference — William  Street, 
Delaware.  Died  October  1,  1913. 

HOUSER,  FRANCIS  M.,  1890 — Bairdstown  and  Portage  Chapel;  Con- 
tinental ;  Edon ;  Kalida ;  South  Ada ;  McCutchensville ;  Vanlue ; 
Celina  Circuit;  Rushsylvania;  Agosta;  Ayersville;  Bluffton;  Van 
Wert  Circuit;  Port  Jefferson. 

HOWEY,  MATTHIAS  C.,  1882 — Gibsonburg,  1 ;  Adrian,  3;  Florida,  2; 
Paulding,  3 ;  Montpelier,  3,  and  built  a  church ;  Quincy,  4 ; 
Howard  Church,  Findlay,  3 ;  Middlepoint,  3 ;  Columbus  Grove, 
2;  Monroe  Street,  Toledo,  5;  Spencerville,  2;  Epworth,  Lima,  2. 

HAMMOND,  ERNEST  H.,  1910;  from  East  Ohio  Conference — St. 
James,  Toledo. 

ICE,  WILLIAM  E.,  1901 — Professor,  Ohio  Northern  University,  Ada, 
Ohio. 

INGLE,  T.  J.,  1907,  from  United  Brethren  Church — Bettsville. 

JAMESON,  IRA  M.,  1871 — Patterson;  Jackson  Center;  Ft.  Recovery; 
Wapakoneta;  Cairio;  Prairie  Depot.  Rt.,  1878;  Fostoria,  Ohio. 


REV.  IRA  M.  JAMESON. 


REV.  ISAAC  N.  KALB,  D.  D. 


REV.  HIBBARD  J.  JEWETT. 


REV.  M.  E.  KETCHAM,  D.  D. 


REV.  D.  N.  KELLEV. 


362  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

JAMESON,  CARL  W.,  1910,  from  United  Brethren  Church — Wiltshire. 

JAMESON,  CHARLES  W.,  1911,  from  United  Brethren  Church — Wat- 
erville. 

JEWETT,  HIBBARD  J.,  1898 — Wapakoneta  Circuit;  Fort  Recovery 
Circuit;  West  Toledo;  Gibsonburg;  Clark  Street,  Toledo;  Grace 
Church,  Lima ;  Trinity,  Xenia. 

KALB,  ISAAC  N.,  1859 — Mt.  Blanchard  Circuit;  Arcanum;  Bluffton 
Circuit;  Bowling  Green.  Enlisted  in  the  100th  O.  V.  I.,  and 
served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  In  fall  of  1865,  Wyandotte 
Circuit;  Roundhead;  St.  Johns;  St.  Marys;  Van  Wert;  Betts- 
ville;  Adrian;  Kenton;  Arcadia;  Fostoria;  Carey;  Forest;  Na- 
poleon ;  Prairie  Depot ;  Fostoria ;  Bluffton. 

KELLER,  EARL  S.,  1895 — Gilboa;  Sylvania;  Bluffton;  North  Balti- 
more; Wapakoneta;  DeGraff. 

KELLER,  WESLEY  M.,  1904 — New  Dover  Circuit,  1;  West  Liberty, 
1 ;  Fostoria  Circuit,  2 ;  Jackson  Center  Circuit,  2 ;  Ohio  City 
Circuit. 

KENNEDY,  CHARLES  C.,  1892 — Kenton  Circuit;  Larue;  McComb; 
Asbury,  Toledo ;  Forest ;  Epworth,  Lima ;  Spencerville ;  Grace 
Church,  Lima;  St.  Marys;  Grace  Church,  Urbana. 

KETCHAM,  MERRICK  E.,  1902,  from  Cincinnati  Conference — Ep- 
worth, Toledo,  2 ;  Ada,  1 ;  Euclid  Avenue,  Toledo,  3 ;  Howard 
Church,  Findlay,  3;  Fremont,  2;  Greenville.  ,. 

KEYKS,  EDGAR  D.,  1876 — Rt.,  1909;  Findlay,  Ohio. 

KELLEY,  DAVID  N.,  1903 — Williams  Center,  3;  West  Cairo,  3;  St. 
Johns,  2 ;  Wesley  Church,  Marion,  3. 

KINNEAR,  GEORGE  F.,  1893 — Kalida;  Scott;  Archbold;  Zanesfield; 
St.  Paris;  North  Fostoria:  Bloomdale;  East  Kenton;  Larue; 
Wharton;  Harpster. 

KINNEY,  ARTHUR  P.,  1912 — Agosta,  Ohio. 

KENNEDY,  ROBERT,  1909 — Attending  school. 

LANCE,  WILLIAM  W.,  1871 — Middletown  (now  Prospect);  Mar- 
seilles; Carey;  Dunkirk;  Bryan;  Van  Wert;  Defiance;  Sidney; 
Broadway,  Toledo;  Fostoria;  Bowling  Green;  presiding  elder 
Findlay  District ;  William  Street,  Delaware ;  Wauseon ;  Defiance, 
second  time;  Celina;  president  Board  of  Conference  Stewards. 
"In  all  my  ministry  there  have  been  but  eight  Sundays  in  which 
I  was  not  able  to  preach." 

LARUE,  CLARENCE  Hv  1909 — Attending  school. 


Conference  Roll  and  Pastoral  Record. 


363 


REV.  G.  F.  KINNEAR. 


REV.  PHILIP  LEMASTERS. 


LEMASTERS,  PHILIP,  1868 — Columbus  Grove;  Spencerville ;  Celina; 
St.  Johns ;  West  Cairo ;  Mt.  Victory ;  Quincy ;  Ansonia ;  Hunts- 
ville;  Bettsville;  Weston;  Mendon.  Rt.,  1896;  Spencerville,  O. 

LINDSEY,  LAWRENCE  H.,  1888 — Convoy;  Lockington;  Port  Jeffer- 
son; Bluffton;  Dunkirk;  Larue;  Elmore;  Collingwood,  Toledo; 
Van  Wert  Circuit;  Celina  Circuit;  Ohio  City;  McComb  Circuit; 
McCutchenville  and  Adrian.  Rt.,  1913,  Findlay,  Ohio. 

LONGFELLOW,  JOSHUA  M.,  185G,  from  North  Ohio  Conference,  which 
he  entered  in  1854 — Rt.,  1892;  Bellefontaine,  Ohio.  Charter 
member  of  Central  Ohio  Conference.  Died  February  21,  191 1. 

LOVE,  N.  B.  C.,  1856,  from  the  North  Ohio  Conference,  which  he 
entered  in  1853 — Allentown  Circuit;  Van  Wert  Circuit;  Port 
Jefferson  Circuit;  Fort  Seneca  Circuit;  Upper  Sandusky;  White 
Sulphur  Springs  Circuit ;  Crestline ;  Marysville ;  Napoleon ; 
Delta;  Perry sburg;  Wauseon;  Monroe  Street,  Toledo;  Bowling 
Green;  Port  Clinton;  Upper  Sandusky,  second  term;  Howard 
Church,  Findlay;  Columbus  Grove;  Asbury,  Toledo;  Swanton; 
Elmore;  Deshler;  Bethany  and  Spring  Street,  Toledo.  Served 
seven  years  at  the  beginning  of  his  ministry  on  circuits,  and  all 
of  the  other  forty-five  years  on  stations  in  the  Central  Ohio  Con- 
ference. One  of  the  three  living  charter  members  of  the  Central 
Ohio  Conference.  Rt.,  1906;  Perrysburg,  Ohio. 

LUCY,  JOHN  A.,  1884 — Marseilles,  Ohio. 

MANNAHAN,  H.  A.,  1912 — Attending  school,  Ada,  Ohio. 


REV.  LAWRENCE  H.  LIXDSEY. 


REV.  FRANKLIN  G.  MARKLEY. 


REV.  GEORGE  MATTHEWS. 


REV.  HERSCHEL  V.  MCCLEARY. 


REV.  ELMER  E.  MCLAUGHLIN.  REV.  G.  M.  MCNEELY. 


REV.  CLARENCE  A.  MOOHE. 


REV.  JOHN  M.  MILLS,  D.  I). 


366  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

MARSH,  WILLIAM  V.,  1886 — Anti-Saloon  League  agent.  Died  May 
22,  1913. 

MATTHEWS,  GEORGE,  1872 — Rt.,  1911 ;  Lewis  Avenue,  Toledo,  Ohio. 

MARKLEY,  FRANKLIN  G.,  1907 — York;  P.  O.  Peoria,  R.  D. 

McCAMMON,  ELMER  E.,  1891 — New  Dover,  1;  Harpster,  2;  Mont- 
pelier,  1 ;  Marysville,  3 ;  Epworth,  Toledo,  4 ;  Sidney,  5 ;  Kenton, 
3 ;  William  Street,  Delaware,  1 ;  superintendent  Flower  D.ea- 
coness  Home  and  Hospital,  Toledo,  Ohio. 

McCLEARY,  HERSCHEL  V.,  1902 — Radnor,  3;  Dunkirk,  1  ;•  Green 
Camp,  2 ;  Wesley,  Marion,  3 ;  Kalida,  1 ;  Rockford,  2. 

McKENNEY,  MILTON  G.,  1912,  from  Detroit  Conference — Harrod, 
Ohio. 

MCLAUGHLIN,  EDWARD  E.,  1896— Anti-Saloon  League,  Albany, 
New  York. 

McNEELY,  GRANT  M.,  1892,  from  Kentucky  Conference,  which  he 
entered  in  1885 — Scott;  Archbold;  Continental;  Hoytville;  Mc- 
Cutchenville ;  Harrod ;  Wharton ;  Agosta ;  Kenton  Circuit ;  Mar- 
seilles; Roundhead;  Metamora;  McClure;  Pemberville. 

METZ,  SAMUEL  W.,  1904 — Antwerp,  Ohio. 

MILLER,  JOHN  W.,  1866 — Shanesville;  Antwerp;  East  Toledo;  De- 
Graff;  Ottawa;  Fremont;  Port  Clinton;  Upper  Sandusky;  St. 
Marys;  Hicksville;  Monroe  Street,  Toledo;  Weston;  North 
Lewisburg;  Bloomdale;  Liberty  Center;  Sylvania;  Bradner; 
Gilboa-Pandora ;  Mt.  Blanchard ;  Anna. 

MILLS,  JOHN  M.,  1882 — Columbus  Grove;  Delta;  Fremont;  De- 
fiance; Bellefontaine ;  Trinity,  Lima;  presiding  elder  Defiance 
District;  presiding  elder  Lima  District;  St.  John's,  Toledo; 
associate  pastor  of  Trinity,  Lima. 

MOFFITT,  JAMES  O.,  1906 — Third  Church,  Findlay;  Vanlue;  Beaver- 
dam;  McComb  Circuit;  West  Liberty;  Versailles. 

MOORE,  CLARENCE  A.,  1900 — Metamora;  Bradner;  Delta;  Broad- 
way, Dayton. 

MOTTER,  ELI  L.,  1901 — Hammondsburg ;  McCutchenville ;  Meta- 
mora; Waterville;  Bradford-Gettysburg;  Weston. 

MOTTER,  WILLIAM  W.,  1908 — Kalida. 

MONEY,  FRANK  M.,  1888— Rt.,  1906;  West  Unity,  Ohio. 

MONOSMITH,  CHARLES  M.,  1896 — Columbus  Grove. 

MORRISON,  JOHN  W.  H.,  1870— Rt.,  1888;  Findlay,  Ohio.  Died 
February  23,  1913. 


REV.  J.  F.  NEWCOMB. 


PROF.^HIRAM  M.  PERKINS. 


REV.  JACKSON  T.  POPE. 


REV.  JOEL  F.  PFEIFFER. 


368  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

NEWCOMB,  J.  F.,  1888 — Quincy,  Ohio. 

NICHOLS,  BRYCE  S.,  1908 — Bellefontaine  Circuit,  2;  St.  Marys  Cir- 
cuit, 1 ;  West  Cairo,  3. 

OLIVE,  JAMES  F.,  1895 — Ohio  City;  Convoy;  Hardin;  Cygnet; 
Carey;  Fostoria;  Bellefontaine;  Marysville. 

PARKS,  CHARLES  A.,  1896 — Anti-Saloon  League.  Rt.,  1913;  Bloom- 
ingdale,  Ohio. 

PARLETTE,  JOHN,  1868 — Little  Sandusky;  New  Dover  and  Sulphur 
Springs;  Port  Clinton;  Convoy;  Marysville  Circuit;  Ridgeway; 
Belle  Center ;  Larue ;  McComb ;  Ada  Circuit ;  St.  Johns ;  Lock- 
ington;  Anna;  Harrod;  Kalida,  twice;  Van  Wert  Circuit;  Mar- 
seilles. Served  three  years  in  125th  O.  V.  I.;  Conference  treas- 
urer for  twenty- seven  years.  Rt.,  1911 ;  Ada,  Ohio. 

PERKINS,  HIRAM  M.,  1877 — Graduate  from  Ohio  Wesleyan  Uni- 
versity in  1857;  assistant  teacher  in  Ohio  Wesleyan  University, 
1857-62;  adjunct  professor,  1865-67;  professor  of  Mathematics 
and  Astronomy,  1867-1907;  professor  emeritus  of  Mathematics 
and  Astronomy,  1907.  Preached  occasionally,  and  lectured  on 
astronomy.  Rt.,  1907;  Delaware,  Ohio. 

POPE,  JACKSON  T.,  1875 — Elmore;  McComb;  West  Unity;  Belle 
Center;  Dunkirk;  Arcadia;  West  Liberty;  Quincy;  Ansonia; 
Ayersville.  Served  since  1875  as  a  member  of  the  Statistical 
Committee,  then  assistant  statistical  secretary,  and  since  1907 
as  assistant  secretary  of  the  Conference. 

PARKIN,  GEORGE  B.,  1910,  from  South  Kansas  Conference — At- 
tending school. 

PFEIFFER,  JOEL  F.,  1911,  from  St.  Louis  Conference — Raymond.  1  ; 
Vanlue,  1 ;  Larue. 

PHILPOTT,  WILLIAM  S.,  1877 — Dawn;  Ft.  Recovery;  Stryker; 
Edgerton;  Paulding;  Ottawa;  Mt.  Victory;  Antwerp;  West 
Unity;  Grand  Rapids;  Deshler. 

RAUCH,  REUBEN,  1872 — Rt.,  1902;  Van  Wert,  Ohio. 

RAINSBERGER,  ADAM  C.,  1908 — Sherwood;  Deshler;  Ft.  Recovery; 
McClure. 

READING,  BENJAMIN  F.,  1893 — Agosta,  2;  Morral,  1;  Larue,  I; 
Radnor,  3 ;  Rawson,  1  ;  McComb,  4 ;  Epworth,  Lima,  1 ;  Broad- 
way, Toledo,  7;  superintendent  Delaware  District. 

REYNOLDS,  JUDSON  W.,  1907 — West  Liberty. 

RICHARDS,  JOSEPH  J.,  1896 — West  Unity,  Ohio. 


REV.  REUBEN  RAUCH. 


REV.  F.  J.  RICHARDSON. 


REV.  LEMUEL  RICE. 


REV.  JAMES  C.  ROBERTS. 


REV.  J.  M.  SHULTZ. 


REV.  ISAAC  N.  SMITH. 


370  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

RICHARDSON,  FRANK  J.,  1905 — New  Dover,  2;  Radnor,  1;  North 
Lewisburg,  2 ;  Edgerton,  2 ;  Green  Camp,  1 ;  New  Richmond. 

RICE,  LEMUEL,  1907,  from  United  Brethren  Church — Mendon; 
Willshire;  Dixon;  Celina  Circuit.  Sn.,  1912;  Ada,  Ohio. 

ROBERTS,  JAMES  C.,  1895 — Broadway  Circuit,  1 ;  Larue,  2;  financial 
secretary  of  Lakeside  Association,  2 ;  Wapakoneta,  6 ;  financial 
secretary  of  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University,  8 ;  Delaware,  Ohio. 

ROBERTS,  WILLIAM  N.,  1895 — Dawn;  P.  O.,  Ansonia,  Ohio. 

ROBINSON,  JESSE  V.,  1898 — Scott,  Ohio. 

ROWLEY,  CHARLES  E.,  1888 — Rawson;  Third  Church,  Findlay;  Mt. 
Blanchard ;  Dixon ;  Wesley,  Marion ;  Third  Church,  Findlay ; 
Gilboa. 

RHODES,  DWIGHT  E.,  1908 — Ada  Circuit;  Ada,  Ohio. 

SCOLES,  WILLIAM  H.,  1874 — Benton  Ridge;  West  Kenton;  Colum- 
bus Grove ;  Anna ;  Quincy ;  Perrysburg ;  Bryan ;  Bowling  Green ; 
Richwood,;  Delta;  McComb;  Kenton  Circuit;  assistant  pastor  at 
Bluffton  Circuit,  Rt.,  1905;  Beaverdam,  Ohio. 

SCOTT,  SAMUEL  W.,  1885 — Rt.,  1910;  Bemidji,  Minnesota. 

SCOTT,  G.  A.,  1912,  from  Des  Moines  Conference — Ep worth, 
Marion. 

SCOTT,  M.  D.,  1884 — Montpelier;  Antwerp;  Payne;  Agosta;  Hunts- 
ville;  Delphos;  Paulding;  Richwood;  West  Mansfield;  St.  Paris; 
Belle  Center;  C}rgnet;  Delta;  Payne;  Larue;  Harpster;  Genoa- 
Lacarne. 

SESSIONS,  GEORGE  B.,  1910,  from  United  Brethren  Church — Kenton 
Circuit;  Pioneer. 

SHANK,  WILLOUGHBY  N.,  1900 — Hoytville;  Liberty  Center;  Wes- 
ton;  Monroe  Street,  Toledo;  Central  Avenue,  Toledo. 

SHAW,  JOHN  C.,  1888 — Albany  Street,  Toledo;  Perrysburg;  Fay- 
ette;  Detroit  Avenue,  Toledo;  Weston;  Upper  Sandusky;  St. 
Marys ;  Ashland,  Kentucky  ;  Bryan ;  Hicksville ;  Montpelier. 

SHULTZ,  J.  M.,  1873,  from  Ohio  Conference;  served  twenty  years 
in  Ohio  and  Wisconsin  Conferences — Findlay  Chapel,  1 ; 
Marysville  Circuit,  2 ;  St.  Marys,  1 ;  Lafayette,  2 ;  Stryker,  1 ; 
Mt.  Blanchard,  3;  South  Kenton,  1;  East  Kenton,  2;  Belle 
Center,  2;  Ansonia,  2.  Rt.,  1890;  Mt.  Victory,  Ohio. 

SIMMS,  JOSEPH  D,,  1874 — Prairie  Depot;  Grand  Rapids;  Elmore; 
Hicksville;  Prospect;  Wauseon;  Forest;  St.  Marys;  Oak  Har- 
bor; Deshler;  Rockford;  Swanton;  Vanlue;  Jackson  Center; 


REV.  DANIEL  STECKEH. 


REV.  EDWARD  D.  SMITH,  PH.  D.,  D.  D.  REV.  ERWIN  STROTHER. 


REV.  MELLVILLE  G.  SWEARINGEN. 


372  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

Rushsylvania ;  East  Liberty;  Ansonia;  Cridersville.  Served 
forty  years ;  stations,  fifteen  years. 

SINCLAIR,  JEREMIAH  C.,  1883 — East  Kenton. 

SMITH,  LA  VERDE  B.,  1898 — Williams  Center;  Sherwood;  Scott; 
Grover  Hill;  Vanlue;  Gilboa ;  Mt.  Blanchard. 

SMITH,  ISAAC  N.,  1861 — Huntsville;  Westfield ;  DeGraff;  Port  Jef- 
ferson ;  Ottawa ;  Upper  Sandusky ;  Dunkirk ;  Ada ;  Bowling 
Green;  St.  Marys;  McComb;  Bluffton;  Arcadia;  Kenton  Circuit. 
Rt.,  1891;  Stevensville,  Montana. 

SMITH,  ALBERT  E..  1887: — York;  Celina;  Epworth,  Toledo;  De- 
fiance; Epworth.  Marion.  President  of  Ohio  Northern  L'niver- 
sity,  Ada,  Ohio,  since  1905. 

SMITH,  EDWARD  D.,  1903 — North  Fostoria;  Bluffton;  Elmore; 
Maumee;  Pandora. 

SMITH,  OLIN  E.,  1898 — Jackson  Center,  Ohio. 

SMITH,  WILLIAM  H.,  187-1— Rt.,  1909;  Toledo,  Ohio. 

SMITH,  J.  HAMLINE,  1886 — Rt.,  1911 ;  Wauseon,  Ohio. 

SMITH,  KELLEY  L.,  1903 — Epworth,  Kenton,  Ohio. 

SNOW,  EUGENE  H.,  1886 — Holgate;  Williams  Center;  Archbold; 
South  Kenton ;  Kenton  Circuit ;  Lafayette ;  Albion ;  Idaho ; 
Heber ;  Park  City ;  Comme ;  Eureka,  in  Utah ;  East  Kenton ; 
Wesley,  Marion ;  South  Ada ;  North  Lewisburg ;  Archbold ;  An- 
sonia ;  Gilboa ;  Third  Church,  Findlay,  and  McCutchenville. 
Conference  evangelist,  4;  missionary  to  Utah,  1889  to  1898. 

SNODGRASS,  JAMES  S.,  1895— Wapakoneta,  1  ;  Ft.  Recovery,  2;  Will- 
shire,  2 ;  Ansonia,  1 ;  Bettsville,  5 ;  Mt.  Blanchard,  8 ;  Jackson 
Center,  1 ;  Vanlue,  2 ;  Beaverdam,  2. 

SPENCER,  WILSON  U.,  1876 — Rt.,  1903;  Bowling  Green,  Ohio. 
Died  November  15,  1912. 

STANTON,  FRANK  W.,  1893 — First  Church,  Findlay,  Ohio. 

STAFFORD,  HARRY  F.,  1910,  from  Ohio  Conference — West  Holland; 
Beaverdam;  Lockington.  Served  in  Ohio  Conference  one  year. 

STECKER,  DANIEL,  1893 — Sn.,  1913;  Findlay,  Ohio. 

STOCKSTILL,  WEBSTER  G.,   1896 — Bryan,  Ohio. 

STROTHER,  ERWIN  A.,  1891 — Sn.,  1913;  Toledo,  Ohio. 

SWANK,  JESSE,  1890 — Gettysburg,  1;  Zanesfield,  2;  West  Unity,  3; 
Napoleon,  7 ;  Bellefontaine,  5 ;  Van  Wert,  6. 

SWEARINGEN,  MELLViLLE  G.,  1889 — Conference  evangelist,  Dela- 
ware, Ohio. 


Conference  Roll  and  Pastoral  Record.  373 

SIMMS,  LEROY  V.,  1912 — Waldo. 

TANEYHILL,  CHARLES  W.,  1868 — Fremont  Circuit,  1;  Bass  Island 
Mission,  1 ;  president  of  Purdy  Seminary,  Purdy,  Tenn.,  1  ; 
P'irst  Church,  Tenn.,  1 ;  Fayette  Circuit,  1 ;  St.  Marys  Mission, 
1;  Middlepoint,  1;  Hicksville,  2;  Delta,  2;  Carey,  2;  Bowling 
Green,  2 ;  Port  Clinton,  2 ;  Bryan,  1 ;  Howard  Church,  Findlay, 
1 ;  Broadway,  Toledo,  1 ;  Wapakoneta,  3 ;  superintendent  and 
manager  of  Lakeside  Camp-meeting  Association,  6;  Grand 
Rapids,  1  ;  Hamilton  Memorial,  Toledo,  1 ;  Pemberville,  1 ; 
Western  Avenue,  Toledo,  2 ;  supplied  Washington  Chapel,  2 ; 
assistant  treasurer  of  Central  Ohio  Conference  for  five  years ; 
treasurer  for  six  years ;  secretary  for  fifteen  years ;  treasurer  of 
the  Board  of  Stewards  for  seven  years.  Rt.,  1912;  Perrys- 
burg,  Ohio. 

THOMAS,  AARON  A.,  1887 — North  Baltimore,  6;  Leipsic,  4;  Hicks- 
ville, 4 ;  Richwood,  5 ;  Napoleon,  2.  For  the  last  eight  years 
financial  secretary  of  the  Ohio  Northern  University,  Ada,  Ohio. 
Built  new  church  on  each  charge  served  excepting  one,  ranging 
in  cost  from  $10,000  to  over  $20,000. 

TURNER,  ROBERT  W.,  1907 — Roundhead,  Ohio. 

WALKER,  WILLIAM  McKiNLEY,  1912 — Attending  school. 

WALKER,  SHERIOAN  T.,  1910 — Hardin,  3;  Huntsville,  2. 

WALLACE,  RICHARD  W.,  1871 — Metamora,  1 ;  Holland  and  Swanton, 
1 ;  Stryker,  2 ;  Hicksville,  2 ;  Delta,  3 ;  Bowling  Green,  2 ;  Fos- 
toria,  3 ;  Lima,  3 ;  Marion,  5 ;  Asbury,  Delaware,  2 ;  Ada,  1  ; 
Allentown,  1 ;  superintendent  State  School  for  Blind,  Columbus, 
Ohio,  4;  Western  Avenue,  Toledo,  4;  Spring  Street,  Toledo, 
2;  St.  James,  Toledo,  2;  Hamilton  Memorial,  Toledo,  2.  Built 
six  new  churches  and  one  parsonage ;  rebuilt  two  churches ;  re- 
ceived into  the  Church  3,643  persons;  married  1,604  couples; 
conducted  3,600  funerals.  Rt.,  1911;  Toledo,  Ohio. 

WATERS,  WESLEY  G.,  1858,  two  years  after  organization  of  the  Con- 
ference— Galena  Circuit;  Delphos;  Maumee  City;  Bryan; 
Bellefontaine ;  William  Street,  Delaware;  North  Pearl  Street, 
Albany,  N.  Y. ;  Pittsfield,  Mass.;  presiding  elder  Belle- 
fontaine District;  St.  Paul's,  Toledo;  presiding  elder  Toledo 
District;  William  Street,  Delaware;  First  Church,  Topeka, 
Kan.;  Marysville;  Findlay;  Fremont;  Trinity  Church,  Lima; 


374  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

presiding  elder  Lima  District;  Sidney;  presiding  elder  Toledo 
District;  Marysville.  Rt.,  1911 ;  New  Moorefield,  Ohio. 

WATKINS,  AARON  S.,  1893 — Sn.,  1911;  Ada,  Ohio. 

WEANER,  CORNELIUS,  1867 — Celina;  White  Sulphur  Springs;  Little 
Sandusky;  Lafayette;  Ayersville;  has  done  much  supply  work 
since  retiring.  Rt.,  1 872 ;  Rising  Sun,  Ohio. 

WEAVER,  ALBERT  H.,  1900 — Richwood,  Ohio. 

WEAVER,  EDWARD  S.,  1900 — Grace  Church,  Norwood. 

WEBSTER,  EDWIN  J.,  1897 — East  Liberty;  Agosta;  Green  Camp; 
Arcadia;  Bloomdale;  Perrysburg;  Ottawa. 

WEBSTER,  LORING  C.,  1856,  from  North  Ohio  Conference  at  or- 
ganization of  Central  Ohio  Conference — Greenville;  Port  Jef- 
ferson; West  Liberty;  Pemberton;  Sidney;  Huntsville;  Marys- 
ville; William  Street,  Delaware;  Upper  Sandusky;  Greenville; 
presiding  elder  Findlay  District;  Lima;  Marion;  Richwood; 
Delphos ;  presiding  elder  Findlay  District ;  Broadway,  Toledo ; 
Carey;  Wharton;  New  Dover.  Entered  the  North  Ohio  Con- 
ference in  1854,  having  served  as  supply  in  1853.  One  of  the 
three  living  charter  members  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 
Rt.,  1900;  Marion,  Ohio. 

WHITLOCK,  ELIAS  D.,  1873 — Ansonia;  DeGraff ;  Belief ontaine;  Wil- 
liam Street,  Delaware ;  First  Church,  Findlay ;  St.  Paul's,  To- 
ledo; Asbury,  Delaware;  First  Church,  Kenton;  Belief  ontaine, 
a  second  term;  Trinity,  Lima;  Defiance;  Fremont;  presiding 
elder  a  full  term  on  Toledo,  Bellefontaine,  and  Findlay  Dis- 
tricts. Rt.,  1911;  Toledo,  Ohio.  Died  December  23,  1913. 

WHITLOCK,  GEORGE  A.,  1907 — McCutchenville,  2;  Hoytville,  1; 
Bradner,  2;  Arcadia,  2. 

WHYMAN,  GEORGE  W.,  1907 — Allentown,  3;  Edon,  4. 

WILCOX,  JASON,  1853 — Rt.,  1865;  Norwalk,  Ohio. 

WILLIAMS,  JEFFERSON,  1879 — Rt.,  1908;  Belle  Center,  Ohio. 

WISELEY,  MILTON  C.,  1900 — Fair  Haven,  Ohio. 

WILTSIE,  GEORGE  B.,  1882 — West  Unity;  Detroit  Avenue,  Toledo; 
Perrysburg;  Upper  Sandusky;  Hicksville;  Leipsic;  Monroe 
Street,  Toledo;  Richwood;  First  Church,  Findlay;  Delphos; 
Forest. 

WINTERS,  WILLIAM  A.,  1900 — North  Montana  Mission. 

WOLFF,  CHRISTIAN  W.,  1879— Rt,  1891;  Findlay,  Ohio. 

WOODRUFF,  ROBERT  E.,  1882 — Celina  Circuit;  Celina,  Ohio. 


REV.  AARON  A.  THOMAS. 


REV.  ROBERT  W.  TURNER. 


REV.  EDWIN  J.  WEBSTER. 


REV.  RICHARD  W.  WALLACE. 


REV.  CORNELIUS  WEANER. 


REV.  GEORGE  A.  WHITLOCK. 


376  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


REV.  RALPH  WIUGHT. 


REV.  W.  A.  YINGLING,  M.  D. 


WORTHINGTON,  HENRY  S.,  1895 — Dun- 
kirk, Ohio. 
WRIGHT,  JOSEPH  A.,  1865 — Rt.,  1908; 

Minneapolis,  Minnesota. 
WRIGHT,  RALPH,  1903 — Wharton,  Rad- 
nor ;   Ohio   City ;    Roundhead ;   Gib- 
sonburg. 

WOLCOTT,     GEORGE     H.,     1907,     from 
United    Brethren    Church — Hunts- 
ville;  Port  Jefferson,  Spring  Street^ 
Toledo. 
WYNN,  IVAN  C.,  1912— Harrod;  P.  O., 

Sidney,  Ohio. 
WILCH,  JOHN  W.,  1912 — Fostoria  Cir- 
cuit; P.  O.,  Fostoria,  Ohio. 
YANT,  HARRISON  D.,  1890 — Holgate,  Ohio. 
YEAGLE,  MICHAEL,  1898 — North  Lewisburg,  Ohio. 
YEISLEY,  CLAYTON  J.,  1907 — Gibsonburg;  student  Drew  Seminary; 
Central    Avenue.    Toledo;    Monroe    Street,    Toledo;    Eggleston 
Memorial,  Atlanta,  Georgia. 

YINGLING,   WILLIAM   A.,    1876 — Lima   Circuit,    1;    St.    Marys,    2; 
Perrysburg,  3;  Findlay,  1.    Sn.,  1883;  Rt.,  1888;  Emporia,  Kan. 


REV.  DAVID  C.  YODER. 


Conference  Roll  and  Pastoral  Record.  377 

YODER,  DAVID  C.,  1901 — Pemberville ;  Agosta;  West  Mansfield; 
Mt.  Victory;  Western;  general  secretary  Cuyahoga  County  Sun- 
day School  Association,  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

YOUNG,  STEPHEN  O.,  1883 — North  Baltimore,  1;  Fowles  City,  2; 
Mingo,  1;  Port  Jefferson,  2;  Belle  Center,  1.  Rt.,  1890; 
Marion,  Ohio. 


XXV. 


3fn  jWemortam. 


"Blessed  are  the  Dead  who  Die  in  the  Lord." 


NAME 

Admitted  on  Trial 

n 

DIED 

> 
°? 

What  Conference. 

Yr. 

North  Ohio     .    .    . 

1852 

11,  1856 

29 

Holland  O 

North  Ohio  

1853 

April    2,  1857 

S7 

Van  Wert  Co    O 

Jacob  T.  Caples  

North  Ohio  

1846 

July   25,  1860 

35 

John  N   Priddy  

1856 

April  25,  1861 

S6 

Van  Wert  O 

William  Baker  

North  Ohio  
North  Ohio  

1849 
1854 

Aug.  25,  1862 
Oct.     7,  1862 

41 
64 

Lafayette,  O. 

North  Ohio  

1847 

April    2,  1863 

53 

North  Ohio 

1850 

June     8,  1863 

SR 

James  M.  Morrow  

North  Ohio  
North  Ohio 

1843 
1854 

Feb.   12,  1864 
May  11    1865 

46 
33 

Lima,  O. 

Central  Ohio  

1857 

June  14,  1865 

85 

Central  Ohio 

1857 

Jan.   22   1866 

35 

William  J   Peck 

North  Ohio     ...    . 

1855 

Mar.  29,  1866 

43 

Kenton   O 

Barton  A.  Webster  

Central  Ohio  
Central  Ohio  

1856 

18,57 

Aug.  22,  1866 
Oct.    14,  1866 

40 

45 

Richwood,  O. 
Edgerton,  O. 

Ohio  

1830 

April  13,  1869 

80 

Central  Ohio  .  .  . 

1866 

1879 

98 

Hiram  M   Schaffer    

Ohio     

1832 

Dec.  29,  1871 

67 

North  Ohio 

1852 

Mar.  24,  1872 

57 

Ada  O 

United  Brethren  Ch. 

1851 

Aug.  10,  1872 

46 

Ohio 

1839 

Feb.   19,  1874 

64 

Van  WerfCo.,  O 

Douglas  D.  S.  Reagh  
Abel  M.  Corey  

North  Ohio  
Central  Ohio  
Central  Ohio  

1854 
1861 
1869 

Feb.     2,  1875 
Oct.      4,  1875 
Aug.     3,  1876 

45 
42 

98 

Belief  ontaine,  O. 
Fostoria,  O. 

Henry  L.  Spindler  
Lemen  T  Clark 

Central  Ohio  
Central  Ohio  .  .  . 

ISO!) 
1874 

Oct.      6,  1878 
Dec.     1,  1878 

38 
89 

Hicks  ville,  O. 
Rockford,  O. 

William  S.  Lunt  
John  S.  Kalb   

North  Ohio  
North  Ohio  

1846 
1843 

April  24,  1879 
Nov.  17,  1879 

62 

59 

Fostoria,  O. 
Radnor,  O. 

Ohio         

1828 

Mar.  26,  1880 

76 

Richard  Biggs  
Henrv  M   Close 

North  Ohio  
North  Ohio  

1840 
1851 

July   18,  1880 
Jan.    20,  1881 

74 

Rawson,  O. 

Horatio  S.  Bradley  
Park  S.  Donaldson  

North  Ohio  
Michigan  .'.... 
Ohio     

1840 
1861 

1839 

Feb.     2,  1881 
May     6,  1882 
Aug.  10,  1882 

65 
57 

84 

Springfield,  O. 
Dexter,  Mich. 

Ohio 

1  833 

Aug.  28,  1882 

84 

Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

Henry  O.  Shelden  

Ohio  
Ohio 

1825 
1831 

Dec.  21,  1882 
Feb.   15,  1883 

83 

77 

Oberlin,  O. 

Thomas  H   Wilson      .    .  . 

North  Ohio  

1842 

Mar.  26,  1883 

65 

Kenton,  O. 

Valorous  Pond  

U  B.  Conference.  .  .  . 
North  Ohio   

1855 
1851 

April  23,  1883 

Buy    3,  1883 

60 
60 

Knox  County,  O. 
Toledo,  O. 

Rolla  H.  Chubb  
James  S.  G.  Reeder  
Samuel  M.  Allen  

Michigan  
Central  Ohio  
North  Ohio  
North  Ohio 

1838 
1874 
1833 
1841 

Nov.    8,  1884 
June  15,  1885 
July    14,  1885 
Dec.     4,  1885 

73 
40 
92 
71 

Perrysburg,  O. 
Rockport,  O. 
West  Liberty,  O. 

David  Bulle    

Central  Ohio  

1856 

Feb.     9,  1887 

79 

Sidnev,  O. 

Ohio 

1833 

Mav  31,  1887 

80 

Bishop  Wm.  L.  Harris  .... 

Michigan  
Ohio 

1837 
1835 

Sept.    2,  1887 
Sept.  25,  1887 

70 

78 

Chicago,  111. 

Ohio  

1830 

Dec.  13,  1887 

87 

Findlav,  O. 

Chas.  B.  Brandebury  

Michigan  

1838 
1884 

Oct.    24,  1887 
Dec.  19,  1888 

74 

95 

Delaware,  O. 
Bowling  Green,  O. 

Wm  Scott  Paul 

North  Ohio 

1H5-2 

Mav  14,  1889 

69 

North  Ohio. 

1853 

Mar.  23,  1888 

68 

Bellefontaine,  O. 

378 


In  Memoriam. 


379 


Sn  JBteemoriam— Continued. 


NAME. 

Admitted  on  Trial  in 

DIED. 

> 
? 

Place  of  Burial. 

What  Conference.       Yr. 

Taylor  I.  Jagger  
Josiah  F.  Crooks  
William  H.  Taylor  
Henry  E.  Pilcher  

Central  Ohio  
Central  Ohio  
North  Ohio  
North  Ohio  .  .    . 

1878 
1866 
1851 
1830 
1857 
1884 
1845 
1853 
1851 
1854 
1857 
1855 
1843 
185ff 
1838 
1846 
1849 
1893 
1873 
1855 
1847 
1894 
1842 
1856 
1842 
1873 
1832 
1860 
1889 
1847 
1889 
1853 
1869 
1898 
1856 
1853 
1852 
1869 
1857 
1856 
1888 
1830 
1854 
1854 
1844 
1858 
1869 
1887 
1872 
1884 
1850 
1861 
1881 
1872 
1862 
1847 
1868 
1871 
1877 
1895 
1905 
1850 
1843 
1849 
1849 

ISIil 
ISti!l 

1878 
1844 
1858 

Sept.  24,  1889 
May  11,  1890 
Sept.    5,  1890 
Feb.   15,  1891 
July     8,  1891 
Jan.    21,  1891 
Nov.  11,  1891 
May  26,  1892 
Aug.  18,  1892 
July     6,  1892 
Nov     4,  1891 
Feb.   10,  1893 
Oct.   24,  1892 
Nov.  20,  1892 
April  24,  1894 
Jan.   26,  1894 
Oct.      3,  1893 
Sept.    5,  1894 
Jan.    31,  1895 
April  28,  1895 
June  28,  1895 
July    15,  1895 
July   27,  1895 
Feb.  24,  1895 
Nov.  28,  1895 
Nov.  16,  1895 
Mar.  15,  1896 
May  13,  1897 
June     9,  1897 
Feb.  25,  1898 
Nov.    7,  1897 
Jan.   25,  1899 
Feb.  27,  1900 
April  27,  1900 
Sept.  15,  1900 
Oct.     4,  1900 
Feb.     8,  1901 
Jan.    19,  1901 
Jan.    12,  1902 
Jan.    30,  1902 
July   29,  1902 
July    17,  1903 
May    8,  1903 
Aug.    8,  1903 
Mar.    9,  1903 
June  27,  1904 
April  15,  1904 
Dec.  29,  1903 
Feb.  26,  1905 
Oct.    14,  1904 
Nov.  24,  1904 
Nov.  14,  1904 
June  10,  1905 
July  31,  1905 
Aug.    5,  1905 
Dec.  24,  1905 
Jan.     7,  1906 
Oct.      7,  1905 
Oct.    14,  1905 
July     3,  1905 
Mar.  14,  1906 
Oct.   31,  1906 
Nov.  11,  1906 
Oct.    23,  1906 
April  16,  1907 
April  22,  1907 
June  18,  1907 
Aug.  18,  1907 
Dec.   16,  1906 
Mar.  15,  1908 

39 
60 
65 

88 
69 
36 
80 
85 
75 
68 
66 
59 
70 
72 
83 
89 
75 
32 
64 
69 
78 
24 
73 
79 
73 
50 
87 
70 
41 
79 
36 
73 
74 
25 
77 
79 
72 
70 
63 
79 
44 
96 
84 
79 
80 
68 
65 
47 
81 
43 
79 
72 
53 
54 
72 
84 
79 
56 
58 
35 
27 
82 
84 
80 
80 
71 
68 
60 
82 
83 

Rockport,  O. 
Lima,  O. 
Bryan,  O. 
Delaware,  O. 
West  Unity,  O. 
Essex,  O. 
Ada,  O. 
Shawnee,  Lima,  O. 
West  Liberty,  O. 
Spencerville,  O. 
Delaware,  O. 
Van  Wert,  O. 
Lima,  O. 
Richwood,  O. 
Perrysburg,  O. 
Delaware,  O. 
Peabody,  Kas. 
Macedon,  O. 
Van  Wert,  O. 
Ada,  O. 
Richwood,  O. 
Senecaville,  O. 
Delaware,  O. 
Arcadia,  O. 
Delaware,  O. 
Kenton,  O. 
Delaware,  O. 
Lima,  O. 
Mendon,  O. 
Kenton,  O. 
Van  Wert,  O. 
Fayette,  O. 
Sidney,  O. 
West  Jefferson,  O. 
Marion,  O. 
Weston,  O. 
Upper  Sandusky  .0. 
Bowling  Green,  O. 
Bellefontaine,  O. 
Delaware,  O. 
Van  Wert,  O. 
Sidney,  O. 
Defiance,  O. 
Huntersville,  O. 
Richwood,  O. 
Cleveland,  O. 
Kirwin,  Kas. 
Delaware,  O. 
Findlay,  O. 
Marion,  O. 
Delaware,  O. 
Prospect,  O. 
Putnam,  Conn. 
Weston,  O. 
Delaware,  O. 
Blackwell,  Okla. 
Van  Wert,  O. 
Bellefontaine,  O. 
Lansing,  Mich. 
Pulaski.  0. 
Edon,  O. 
Marseilles,  O. 
Richwood.  O. 
Kin.llay,  O. 
Sh.-lby.  O. 
Delaware,  O. 
Toledo,  O. 
Liberty  Center,  O. 
Lima,  O. 
Van  Wert,  O. 

John  Poucher  
James  W.  Shultz  
Lemuel  Herbert  
Harrison  Maltbie  
Moses  B  Hebbard 

Central  Ohio  
Central  Ohio  

North  Ohio  
North  Ohio  

North  Ohio 

North  Ohio  

John  C.  MiUer 

Central  Ohio 

JohnT.  Bowers  
Alexander  Harmount  

North  Ohio  
North  Ohio  
Central  Ohio  

Henry  Warner  
Alexander  Nelson  
Reuben  D.  Oldfield  
Robert  B.  Olive       

North  Ohio  
North  Ohio  
North  Ohio  
Central  Ohio     .... 

William  Dunlap  

Central  Ohio  
North  Ohio         .    . 

North  Ohio  

Central  Ohio 

Daniel  D.  Mather  
Joseph  Good  
William  W.  Winter  

North  Ohio  

Central  Ohio  
North  Ohio  

Wilbur  J.  Hodges  
Kln.it  hun  C.  Gavitt  

Central  Ohio  
Ohio                 

John  L.  Bates  

Central  Ohio  
Central  Ohio 

Joseph  Wykes  

North  Ohio  

Gilmore  M.  Hunter  
Ambrose  Hollington  
David  B.  Rhinehart 

Central  Ohio  
North  Ohio  

Central  Ohio 

William  E.  Ortman   

Central  Ohio  

Isaac  Newton  

Central  Ohio  
Sandusky  U.  B.  Ch.  . 
North  Ohio  

Richard  M.  Culver.    .    . 

Central  Ohio 

Daniel  G.  Strong  

Central  Ohio  

Central  Ohio  .    . 

Walter  H.  Leatherman.  .  .  . 

Central  Ohio  
New  York 

North  Ohio 

Benjamin  W.  Day  

Conf.  U.  B.  Church. 
North  Ohio 

Jason  Young  
William  G.  Littell 

Central,  Ohio  
Central  Ohio    . 

Benajah  N.  Boardman.  .  .  . 

Central  Ohio  

Jeremiah  M.  Kelly 

Central  Ohio  . 

Stewart  C.  Wright  

Meth.  Ch.  Canada..  . 
North  Ohio 

David  Rutledge 

Caleb  Hill   

Central  Ohio  

Mortiraore  Gascoigne  
E.  B.  Lounsbury  
Lewis  M.  Albright  

Wisconsin  
Central  Ohio  ".  . 
North  Ohio  
Central  Ohio  

James  C.  demons  
Thaddeus  L.  Wiltsie 

Edmund  G.  Brumbaugh 

Central  Ohio  

Sidney  S.  Clay  
Harvev  E.  Michael 

Central  Ohio  
Central  Ohio  

John  Omerod  

Meth.  Ch.  Canada.   . 
United  Brethren  Ch.. 
Virginia  
North  Ohio     

Solomon  Lindsay. 

AshfordHall  
Lorenzo  D.  Rogers      .    . 

Leroy  A.  Belt  
Jesse  Carr  

Central  Ohio  
Central  Ohio  

Oratnel  Shrevei  

Central  Ohio  

Arkinson  Berry  

United  Brethren  Ch.. 
Central  Ohio  

James  F.  Mounts  

History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 


.fiacmonam — Continued. 


NAME. 

Admitted  on  Trial  in 

DIED. 

> 
? 

Place  of  Burial. 

What  Conference. 

Yr. 

1880 
1880 
1868 
1866 
1866 
1883 
1854 
1857 
1892 
1852 
1802 
1872 
1871 
1882 
1858 
1886 
1833 
1862 
1809 

May     5,  1908 
Julv     3,  1908 
Julv     6,  1908 
Oct.    24,  1908 
Nov.  22,  1908 
Dec.  17,  1908 
Dec.  30,  1908 
Mar.  12,  1909 
June     3,  1909 
Jan.    10,  1910 
Dec.  21,  1909 
Mar.    3,  1910 
Feb.   28,  1910 
May  28,  1910 
Jan.    14,  1911 
Nov.  11,  1910 
Nov.  10,  1910 
Jan.    31,  1911 
Mar.  22,  1911 

46 
60 
74 
69 
78 
53 
79 
75 
45 
84 
71 
63 
71 
56 
79 
60 
52 
83 

Pickerington,  O. 
Angola,  N.  Y. 
West  Liberty,  O. 
Lima,  O. 
Toledo,  O. 
Wauseon,  O. 
Defiance,  O. 
Toledo,  O. 
Colorado  Sp's,  Colo. 
Lima,  O. 
Toledo.  O. 
Van  Wert,  O. 
Abbotsville,  O. 
Van  Wert,  O. 
Jennings,  La. 
Ada,  O. 
Rockford,  O. 
West  Liberty,  O. 
Defiance,  O. 
Toledo,  O. 
Toledo,  O. 
Sidnev,  O. 
Carey,  O. 
Delaware,  O. 
Bellefontaine,  O. 
Bowling  Green,  O. 
Findlay,  O. 
Edgerton,  O. 
Ada,  O. 
Bucyrus,  O. 
Urbana,  O, 
Bellefontaine,  O. 
Toledo,  O. 

George  L.  Tennant  

N.  W.  Kansas  

Dwight  R   Cook 

Central  Ohio 

Central  Ohio 

Lucius  E.  Wilson  

United  Brethren  Ch.. 
North  Ohio 

Central  Ohio  

Charles  G.  Smith 

Central  Ohio 

Morrison  K.  Markwith  .  .  , 

Central  Ohio  
Central  Ohio. 

Phillip  A.  Drown  

Central  Ohio  

John  F.  Strete  
William  R.  Shultz  . 

North  Ohio  
Meth.  Protestant. 

Parker  P.  Pope     

Central  Ohio 

1857 
1885 
1886 
1903 
1891 
1870 
1876 
1870 
1886 

Dec.  14,  1911 
Dec.  11,  1911 
Feb.     4,  1912 
Nov.    1,  1911 
Aug.     1,  1912 
June     6,  1912 
Nov.  15,  1912 
Feb.  23,  1913 
May  22,  1912 

81 
46 
67 
33 
46 
85 

Charles  W.  Sutton  
David  H.  Hathawav  

Kentucky  
Central  Ohio  

Central  Ohio 

Charles  M.  Baker  

Jabez  S.  Blair 

Central  Ohio 

Central  Ohio 

Central  Ohio 

William  V.  Marsh  

Central  Ohio  

John  W  Hill 

1855 
1901 
1873 
1854 
1909 

Jan.    22,  1913 
Oct.      1,  1913 
Dec.  23,  1913 
Feb.   21,  1914 
April  18,  1914 

81 
38 
70 

Thomas  H  Housel 

Ohio 

Elias  D  Whitlock    

Joshua  M.  Longfellow  

Central  Ohio  

Shirlev  H.  Decker 

Central  Ohio 

XXVI. 

Origin  of  the  West  Ohio  Conference. 

(Western  Christian  Advocate,  September  17,  1913.) 

IT  may  be  of  interest  to  many  of  our  readers  to  hear  the  story  of 
the  origin  of  the  movement  which  resulted  in  the  consolidation  of 
the  Central  Ohio  and  the  Cincinnati  Conferences.  Recently  we 
were  able  to  obtain  it  from  reliable  sources.  We  seek  to  give  it 
record,  since  it  is  a  matter  of  history  which  ought  to  be  preserved. 
A  movement  which  means  so  much  for  Methodism  is  not  to  be 
passed  over  lightly  and  forgotten.  The  men  who  have  led  in  this 
matter  deserve  to  have  their  relation  with  it  preserved.  The  day 
will  come,  if  it  is  not  now  here,  when  their  brethren  will  feel  a 
debt  of  gratitude  to  them  which  they  will  be  unable  to  pay  by  any. 
deed  of  kindness  and  expression  of  appreciation. 

When  a  news  item  appeared  announcing  that  the  East  Ohio 
and  the  North  Ohio  Conferences  were  taking  steps  toward  con- 
solidation, it  was  instantly  recognized  by  discerning  men  that  such 
union,  if  effected,  would  place  the  other  Conferences  of  the  State 
at  a  great  disadvantage.  The  first  Conference  to  meet  after  this 
disquieting  news  was  announced  was  the  Cincinnati,  and,  on  motion 
of  George  W.  Dubois,  a  commission  of  five  was  appointed  to  meet 
with  a  like  number  of  commissioners  from  each  of  the  other  Con- 
ferences, and  to  consider  the  matter  of  dividing  the  State  into  four 
Conferences  of  equitable  size. 

This  joint  commission  met  in  Columbus  in  April,  1912.  The 
East  Ohio  and  the  North  Ohio  were  so  intent  upon  their  own  ar- 
rangement that  they  ignored  the  invitation  and  sent  no  representa- 
tives. The  commissioners  of  the  Ohio  Conference  came  to  the  meet- 
ing opposed  to  any  project  for  "quartering  the  State."  on  the 
ground  that  it  would  take  from  them  much  of  their  best  territory 
west  of  the  meridian  of  Columbus  and  give  them  a  lot  of  hill 
country  from  the  southern  part  of  the  East  Ohio  Conference.  The 

381 


382  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

meeting  ended  in  a  futile  memorial  to  the  General  Conference, 
passed  by  a  majority  of  one,  praying  that  the  number  of  Confer- 
ences be  left  at  five,  with  the  necessary  adjustments  of  boundaries. 
The  Cincinnati  representatives  had  feared  this  conclusion,  and 
on  the  way  to  Columbus  agreed  that,  if  the  way  to  four  Conferences 
were  blocked,  they  would  propose  to  the  Central  Ohio  men  a  union 
of  the  Western  Conferences.  On  the  way  to  the  station,  after 
adjournment,  two  of  the  Cincinnati  men — Dr.  C.  M.  Van  Pelt  and 
A.  B.  Austin — broached  the  subject  to  one  of  the  Central  Ohio 
men — E.  O.  Crist.  He  fell  in  with  the  plan  enthusiastically,  and 
declared  his  intention  of  laying  it  at  once  before  his  fellow-com- 
missioners. At  an  early  day  Dr.  J.  F.  Harshbarger  came  into 
Dr.  Grist's  office  in  the  Methodist  Union  rooms  in  Toledo.  The 
matter  was  then  discussed  and  heartily  endorsed.  The  chairman 
of  the  Cincinnati  commission  was  called  by  long-distance  phone 
and  the  matter  arranged  that  each  General  Conference  delegation 
should  draw  up  a  memorial  asking  for  an  Enabling  Act.  Dr. 
C.  M.  Van  Pelt  drew  up  this  necessary  document  and  introduced 
it  to  the  Committee  on  Boundaries,  of  which  he  was  a  member. 
The  memorial  was  given  due  consideration  by  that  body,  a-nd  the 
Enabling  Act  was  passed.  The  matter  was  later  carried  before 
the  different  Conferences  interested,  and  adopted  according  to  the 
laws  of  the  State  of  Ohio.  The  consummation  was  reached  on 
Tuesday,  September  9th,  at  Urbana,  when  each  Conference,  meet- 
ing independently,  voted  for  the  consolidation,  to  which  Bishop 
William  F.  Anderson  concurred,  setting  his  seal  declaring  that  the 
West  Ohio  Conference  was  henceforth  a  part  of  the  Fall  Confer- 
ences of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


XXVII. 

Joint  Commission. 

THE  following  commissioners,  elected  by  their  respective  Confer- 
ences and  charged  with  the  duty  of  working  out  the  details  of  the 
plan  for  the  union  of  the  two 
Conferences,  met  first  in  Dela- 
ware, O.,  November  13,  1912, 
and  organized  by  electing  A. 
E.  Smith,  chairman,  and  F. 
G.  Mitchell,  secretary.  The 
main  points  of  the  plan  were 
taken  up  and  agreed  upon  at 
this  meeting.  A  later  meet- 
ing was  held  March  24  and 
25,  1913,  in  Urbana,  at  which 
time  the  name  "West  Ohio 
Annual  Con  ference"  was 
chosen,  and  the  final  details 
of  the  union  agreed  upon. 

The  task  of  the  commis- 
sion was  quite  complicated  REV.  ALBERT  E.  SMITH,  PH.  D.,  D.  D. 
and  difficult,  but  the  work  was  undertaken  in  such  a  magnanimous 
and  unselfish  spirit  on  the  part  of  each  Conference  commission,  both 
while  acting  together  and  as  individuals,  that  no  delays  occurred 
and  the  decisions  finally  reached  after  full  discussion,  were  made 
unanimous. 

All  members  were  present,  and  the  finest  fraternal  feeling  pre- 
vailed in  each  session  of  the  Joint  Commission.  The  single  purpose 
and  aim,  to  do  that  which  was  just  and  equitable,  wisest  and  best 
for  all  concerned,  dominated  the  minds  of  all  the  members. 

The  work  of  the  commission  was  quite  satisfactory  to  both 
Conferences;  its  report  was  heartily  adopted  by  each  in  separate 
session  in  Urbana,  Ohio,  September  9,  1913,  and  immediately  after 
adjournment  the  two  bodies  met  together  for  the  first  time  as  the 
West  Ohio  Annual  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
with  Bishop  William  F.  Anderson  presiding. 

383 


JOINT  COMMISSION. 

CINCINNATI  CONFERENCE  REPRESENTATIVES. 


REV.  GEORGE  DVBOIS,  D.  D. 


REV.  F.  G.  MITCHELL,  D.  D. 


REV.  C.  M.  VAN  PELT,  D.  D. 


REV.  W.  A.  WIANT,  D.  D.  REV.  ALPHAEUS  B.  AUSTIN,  D.  D. 


JOINT  COMMISSION. 

CENTRAL  OHIO  CONFERENCE  REPRESENTATIVES. 


REV.  E.  D.  WHITLOCK,  D.  D. 


REV.  MERRICK  E.  KETCHAM,  D.  D. 


REV.  E.  O.  CRIST,  D.  D. 


II KV.  JAMES  H.  FITZWATEH,  I).  I). 


XXVIII. 

West  Ohio  Annual  Conference. 

THE  Cincinnati  Conference  was  organized  in  1851.,  in  Urbana, 
Ohio,  in  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  After  the  lapse 
of  sixty-two  years  in  the  life  of  this  Conference,  and  fifty-seven  in 
that  of  the  Central  Ohio,  the  two  Conferences  met  on  September  9, 
1913,  in  this  same  Methodistic  and  hospitable  town,  to  consummate 
the  union  of  the  two  bodies.  The  last  meeting  of  the  Cincinnati 
Conference  was  held  in  First  Church,  the  place  where  it  first  met. 

The  Cincinnati  Conference  during  these  threescore  years  has 
written  a  great  and  important  chapter  in  the  annals  of  Ohio  Meth- 
odism. Her  territory  embraces  one  of  the  fairest  and  finest  portions 
of  the  State;  her  cities  and  towns,  and  her  country,  are  among  the 
most  prosperous  sections  of  the  Commonwealth;  her  ministers,  both 
in  the  past  and  at  present,  must  be  counted  in  the  list  of  the  in- 
fluential and  distinguished  men  of  the  Church,  not  only  in  Ohio, 
but  throughout  the  connection  of  Methodism. 

The  Cincinnati  Conference  has  given  to  the  Church — to  her 
ministry,  her  institutions  of  learning,  her  editorships,  her  secre- 
tarial force,  her  high  counsels  in  legislation,  and  her  superin- 
tendency — many  men  whose  eminent  services  in  all  these  relations 
have  made  Methodism  a  known  name  and  a  great  power  in  all  the 
world.  Those  who  were  privileged  to  have  been  members  of  this 
Conference  will  instantly  recall  many  men  who  during  their  time 
of  service  stood  among  the  shining  hosts  of  Zion;  their  names  are 
ever  precious  in  our  memory,  and  their  noble  deeds  and  sacrifices 
for  the  cause  of  Christianity  make  immortal  their  lives.  This 
Conference,  as  well  as  the  Central  Ohio,  is  to  be  congratulated  upon 
the  union  of  these  two  great  Conferences. 

The  Central  Ohio  Conference  comes  with  a  record  of  noble 
origin  and  great  service.  It  represents  a  corps  of  workers  in  a 
portion  of  the  State  where  the  weak  could  not  stand  and  where 
the  timid  and  halting  could  never  succeed.  The  territory  of  the 
Central  Ohio  Conference  has  been  of  such  a  pioneer  if  not  a  primi- 

386 


West  Ohio  Annual  Conference.  387 

live  character  as  to  require  a  strong  manhood  to  fell  the  forests 
and  to  drain  the  swamps. 

The  two  soils  of  the  Conferences,  quite  dissimilar  in  some  ele- 
ments,, will  nevertheless  mix  quite  well,  the  North  adding  good  rich 
muck  to  the  sand  and  gravel  of  the  older  territory.  A  feeling,  no 
doubt,  possesses  the  united  body  that  not  only  the  material  but  also 
the  intellectual  and  spiritual  elements  shall  quickly  coalesce  to  the 
advantage  of  both  bodies. 

With  Cincinnati  on  the  south  and  Toledo  on  the  north,  with 
the  many  prosperous  and  thrifty  towns  intervening,  the  landscape 
enriched  and  beautified  by  a  wide  expanse  of  sloping  hills,  fertile 
valleys,  and  rich  plains,  this  greater  territory  will  afford  many 
fine  circuits,  where  the  young  theologue,  fresh  from  the  seminary, 
may  have  ample  room  to  try  his  untrained  pinions,  and  where  the 
minister,  long  shut  in  amid  the  crowds  and  buildings  of  the  noisy 
city,  may  get  the  purer  air  to  rebuild  his  tired  powers. 

There  are  many  county-seat  towns  and  growing  cities  in  which 
the  aspiring  and  resolute  lover  of  difficult  tasks  may  find  test  enough 
to  evoke  his  sublimest  powers.  In  short,  the  new  Conference  will 
have  a  range  and  variety  of  appointments  that  should  satisfy  the 
most  versatile  talents  and  the  most  migratory  itinerant  pace, 
whether  voluntary  or  enforced.  The  four  hundred  and  eighty  min- 
isters now  constituting  the  roll  of  the  new  West  Ohio  Conference 
may  find  places  in  which  the  ripest  scholarship  and  the  finest 
experiences  may  be  employed  in  the  service  of  Him  who  when  here, 
on  earth  found  His  choicest  opportunities  for  helpful  ministry 
among  those  who  are  to-day,  as  well  as  others  were  in  His  time,  in 
great  and  urgent  need  of  the  highest  services  that  godly  men  can 
render  to  a  lost  race. 

May  the  same  heroic,  self-sacrificing  spirit  that  actuated  the 
pioneer  Methodist  preachers,  the  same  evangelistic  zeal  and  devo- 
tion to  Christ  and  the  Church  which  sent  them  forth  to  blaze  the 
way  and  plant  the  gospel  seed  in  virgin  soil,  still  dominate  the 
ministry  of  these  two  great  bodies  as  they  now  go  forth  as  one 
strong  army  of  the  Lord,  inarching  under  their  new  banner,  the 
West  Ohio  Annual  Conference! 

We,  members  of  the  new  Conference,  must  face  problems  and 
difficulties  which,  though  very  different  from  those  our  fathers  en- 
countered, are  nevertheless,  under  the  new  and  ever  changing  con- 


388  History  of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference. 

dition,  formidable.  If  we  are  to  succeed  in  our  tasks  as  well  as 
they  did  in  theirs,  it  will  only  be  because  we  are  able  to  look  be- 
yond all  the  maze  of  modern  organization  and  Church  machinery 
and  see  clearly,  as  did  they,  whence  cometh  our  help.  The  world 
will  still  seek  a  proof  of  "Christ  speaking  in  us,"  and  we  need  to 
hear  Him  say,  "Without  Me  ye  can  do  nothing." 

"O  Master,  let  me  walk  with  Thee 
In  lowly  paths  of  service  free; 
Tell  me  Thy  secret;  help  me  bear 
The  strain  of  toil,  the  fret  cf  care. 

Help  me  the  slow  of  heart  to  move 
By  some  clear,  winning  word  of  love; 
Teach  me  the  wayward  feet  to  stay, 
And  guide  them  in  the  homeward  way. 

Teach  me  Thy  patience;  still  with  Thee 
In  closer,  dearer  company, 
In  work  that  keeps  faith  sweet  and  strong, 
In  trust  that  triumphs  over  wrong. 

In  hope  that  sends  a  shining  ray 
Far  down  the  future's  broadening  way; 
In  peace  that  Thou  only  canst  give, 
With  Thee,  O  Master,  let  me  live." 


Ind 


ex. 


Ada  Church 

Administration  Building,  O.  N.  U .  . 

Albright,  Mrs.  Lewis  M 

Albritton,  J.  L 

Alderman,  Simeon  H 

Aldersgate  Street 

Allen,  W.  O 

Allen,  Dr.  Belle  J 

Altman,  John  S 

American  Methodism 

American  Revolution 

Ames,  Bishop  E.  R 

Ames  Chapel 306,  314, 

Anderson,  Bishop  William  F.  .  ..56, 
290,  382, 

Anderson,  George  Wood 

Anna  Charge 

Anna  Church  and  Parsonage 

Ansonia 

Arbuckle,  J.  C 

Armbrust,  Joseph  H - 

Armington,  W.  B 254,  297, 

Asbury,  Bishop 

Asbury  Church,  Toledo,  Ohio.  .283, 

Asbury,  Francis 20, 

Ascham,  John  B 192,  296,  297, 

Austin,  A.  B 382, 

Austin,  Cyrus  B 

Avann,  J.  M 

Ayres,  Joseph 56,  75,  126,  127, 

B 

Bade,  W.  H.. 

Bailey,  David  H.,  57,  174,  229,  250, 

Banks,  Louis  A 

Barkdull,  Thomas  N 176,  232, 

Barkdull,  Thomas. . .  .175,  189,  269, 

Barker,  Aratus 

Baker,  C.  M 

Barnes,  Adam  C 96,  129,  224, 

237,  267,  295,  347, 

Barnes,  C.  W 199, 

Barnes,  Mrs.  C.  W 

Ban-on,  C.  S 274, 

Barter,  Samuel 

Bashford,  Bishop  James  W.  .  .  .151, 
154,  177, 

Bates,  Miss  Inez 

Battle  of  Fallen  Timbers  . . 


162    Baughman,  John  A 250,  293 

157    Baumgardner,  Gill  M 348 

111    Baumgardner,  Harmount 347 

171  I  Baumgardner,  Jacob  M. .  .197,  198, 
126  ;  223,  274,  348 

18  |  Baumgardner,  M.  D 242,  259, 


201 

106 

346 

30 

20 

51 


383 
220 
164 
165 
166 

26 
346 
346 

50 
284 

85 
348 
384 
346 
233 
136 


348 
126 


213 

120 

40 


299,  348,  305,  307 

Baumgardner,  Stewart 248,  348 

Bcall,  Samuel  A 348 

Beasehler,  G.  H. . .  : .237,  348 

BEGINNINGS     OF     METHOD- 
ISM       IT 

BEGINNING  OF  MISSIONARY 

MOVEMENTS 79 

Beiler,  S.  L 315 

Belief  on  taine  Church ..  .    168 


Belt,  Mrs.  Leroy  A 109 

Belt,  L.  A. .  .  .74,  96,  125,  126,  127, 

160,  161,  171,  173,  220,  229,  240,  307 
BENEVOLENT  AND   PHILAN- 
THROPIC INTERESTS 113 

Bennett,  Charles,  141,  181,  241,  242,  350 

Bennett,  Joseph 350 

Berry,  Arkinson 288 

Bethany  Church,  Toledo 284 

Bethards,  J.  H.  .219,  247,  256,  349,  350 

Bettsville  Church 174 

Between-the-Logs 84 

Biggs,  Peter 198,  275,  350 

Bigley,  H.  J 5,  162,  239,  350 

Bigelow,  Russel 91,  92,  168 

Bishop,  Amasa 309 

285    Black  Forest 42 

348    BLACK  SWAMP 32,  34,  175 

348    Board  of  Foreign  Missions 113 

304    Bohler,  Peter 17 

272    Bolton,  J.  C 350 

348    Botkins  Church 165 

266  I  Bowling  Green  Church 174,  176 

i  Bowersox,  A.  S 350,  318 

348  I  Bowers,  David 350 

348    Boyers,  Henry 234,  328,  329 

201    Brackney,  N.  S 350 


Brackney,  William  McK.  .119,  213,  274 

Brackney,  W.S 350 

Bradner  Church 177 

Bradstreet,  General 38 

Brandebury,  ('has.  C 330 

Brandebury,  David 354 


389 


390 


Index. 


PAGE. 

Broadway  Church,  Toledo 286,  287 

Broderick,  Judge  John  M 227 

Brown  Auditorium,  ().  N.  U 159 

Brown,  Henry  A 352 

Brown,  V.  F 137 

Bryan  Church 178 

Bussard,  Aaron  J 351 

Burke,  William 50,  142 

Burger,  Hiram  C 229,  352 

Burton,  William  K 352 

Butler,  J.  H .   352 


( 'allahan.  George 29 

Calling  of  John  Stewart 82 

Campbell,  T.  II 173,  218,  242,  341 

Camp  Meeting  Association 75 

Caples,  John  T 315 

Carter,  Daniel 56,  210,  224,  304 

Cartersville  Charge 182 

Carter,  Robert  E 178,  352 

Case,  Samuel 131 

Cuss,  Colonel 49 

Cater,  J.  H 351 

Celina  Church 180 

Central  Church,  Toledo 288 

Central   Ohio   Conference,   51,   55, 

136,  206 
CENTRAL  OHIO  CONFERENCE 

SEMINARY 136 

Champion,  Frederick  T 352 

Chapman,  Mrs.  F.  V Ill 

Chase,  Ira 175,  259 

Chiles,  Clarence  D 352 

Chiles,  Walter  E 352 

Chillicothe 50 

Chippewa 49 

Christ  Hospital,  Cincinnati 10 

CHURCH  TRIUMPHANT  325 

Cincinnati  Branch 100,  104 

Cincinnati  Conference 381,  386 

Clark,  Francis 29 

Clark,  George 35,     39 

Clark  Street  Church,  Toledo. .  .328, 

291,  292 

Clason,  A.  S .'  100 

Clason,  Mrs 101,  152 

Clay,  General 45,     46 

Clemens,  Alexander 125 

CONFERENCE  ROLL  AND  PAS- 
TORAL RECORD 346 

Conspiracy  of  Pontiac 37 

Coontz,  Herbert  T 353 

Coke,  Thomas 20 

Cole,  Ernest  C 354 

Coleman,  Austin 175,  179,  241 

Colgan,  Daniel 179 


Colgan,  J.  R 234,  242,  285 

Colgan,  Stephen  J    352 

Collinge,  C.  W.  .210,  289,  303,  305,  353 
Collingwood  Church,  West  Toledo, 

292,  294 

Columbus  Grove  Church 181 

Constein,  William  W 353 

Cooke,  Edwin  D 232,  353 

Copp,  Mrs.  Lizzie  A 110 

Country  Church 59 

Cowen,  Mrs.  B.  R 100 

Craig,  Captain  John 123 

Cramer,  Charles  B 238,  353 

Creech,  F.  L 353 

Crider,  J.  C 253,  353 

Cridersville  Charge 182 

Crist,  E.  O. .  .  .4,  57,  119,  152,  123, 
124,  196,  207,  290,  295,  302,  324, 

353,  382,  385 

Croghan,  Major 35,  39,     47 

Cromwell,  Oliver 17 

Crow,  Price  A 183,  354 

Cummings,  WT.  F 354 

Cunningham.  J.  T 163 

Cuppett,  Parson  B 354 

Curl,  O.  L 162 

Curl,  Wilbur  W 354 

Custar.  A.  R 176,  242.  246,  354 

Culp,  W.  S 354 

D 

Dailey,  Ellis  T 21!).  354,  237 

Davis',  Edwin  L 187,  222,  354 

Davenport,  Charles  R 259,  354 

Day,  Albert  E 354 

Deaconess  Home 117,  119 

Deaconess  Hospital 118 

Deal,  William 354 

Decker,  Shirley  H 333,  334,  356 

Defiance  Church  and  Parsonage . . .   184 

DeGraff  Church 186 

Delanoy,  Augustus  E 354 

Delaware 49 

Delaware  Conference : 51 

DeLisle,  James 162,  236 

De  Longuevil 36 

Delphos  Church 191 

Delta  Church 187 

Deshler  Church 192,  193 

Detroit 36,37,42,    43 

Detroit  River 43,     45 

Dickelman,  Miss  L.  H 121 

Donohue,  Dr.  Julia :  .    104 

Donnan,  John  W 229,  298,  318,  354 

Dubois,  George  W 381,  384 

Dudley,  Colonel 46 

Duke's  Memorial,  O.  N.  U 159 


Index. 


391 


Dukes,  Mrs.  P.  C 102 

Dumm,  William  T 178,  250,  254 

Dunham,  Edmund  S 229,  356 

Dunham,  Samuel  R 356 

Dutton,  Dr.  Mary  L 105 

Drummond,  Ray 356 

E 

East  Ohio  Conference 381 

Early  French  Explorers 36 

Edge,  James 356 

EDUCATIONAL  INSTITl  - 

TIONS 134 

Edwards  Gymnasium 141  | 

Edwards,  John 223  | 

Edwards,  W.  W 123  ! 

Ekey,  John  B 356  i 

Ellen  B.  Flower  Deaconess  Home.  .   122  j 

Eliot,  John 81  ' 

Elliott,  Charles 140,  261 

Elliott,  Hall 143 

Emanuel  German  Church,  Toledo.  .   321  | 

Embury,  Philip 19 

Enders,  Miss  Emma  E 119,  120 

Epworth  Church,  Lima 219,  221 

Epworth  Church,  Toledo 295,  297 

Epworth  Church,  Marion 228 

Erastus 209 

Erie  Conference 51 

Ernsberger,  William  F 356 

Euclid  Avenue  Church,  Toledo,  298,  299 


Fallen  Timbers 42,  43,     81 

Farnsworth,  Charles  .  .326,  327 

Female  College 75 

Figlev,  M.  M..57,  173,  219,  296, 

256,  264 

Findlay  Methodism 193 

Finley,  James  B.  .  .  .88,  93,  95,  140, 

142,  168,  202,  256,  356 

Finley,  Joseph  J 356 

FIRST     CENTURY     OF     THE 

OHIO  CONFERENCE 26 

First  Church,  Ada 163 

First  Church,  Findlay 194 

First  Church,  Fostoria 198 

First  Church,  Fremont.. .  .202,  206,  269 

First  Church,  Murysville 227 

First  Church,  Kenton 213 

First  Church,  Toledo 306,  310,  311 

First  Church,  Upper  Sandusky ....   264 

First  Church,  Van  Wert 264 

First  Methodist  Conference 18 

First  Methodist  Conference  in  Am- 
erica .  .  20 


First  Mission  House 93 

Fish,  A.  J..  .177.  195,  196,  218,  316,  356 
Fitzwater,  James  H. .  .57,  219,  357, 

225,  247,  385 

Flory,  S.  II 173,  357 

FLOWER  DEACONESS   HOME 

AND  HOSPITAL 115,  117 

Flower,  Ellen  B 117,  118 

Flower  Home  for  Girls 124 

Flower  Hospital 10.  117,  121 

Flower,  Mr.  Stevens  W 117,  118 

Flower,  Mrs.  Stevens  W 117 

Frey,  Miss  Lulu 106 

Ford,  John  K 52 

Forest  Church 208 

Fort  Defiance 41,  42,     43 

Fort  Deposit 

Fort  Greenville 41 

Fort  Maiden 43 

Fort  Meigs 45,  46,     49 

Fort  Miami 36,  40,     42 

Fort  Recovery 209 

Fort  Stephenson 47 

Fort  Wayne 36,  38,  40,  43,  49,     81 

Foster,  Sidney  D 120,  121 

Foundry IN 

French  town  (Monroe) 44 

Frisbie,  A.  J.  .  .  .53,  54.  257,  336,  - 

337,  338,  357 

Frontenac 36 

Fulkerson,  Charles 283,  357 

Fuller,  M.  B 219,  357 


Gamble,  Enoch 357 

Gamble,  Mrs.  Wm.  A 105 

Gascoigne,  Mortimer,  196,  245,  328, 

329 

Gavitt,  E.  C 52,  65,  96,  125, 

175,  229,  236,  240,  241,  295,  309 

Georgia 17 

GERMAN  METHODISM  IN  TO- 
LEDO  

Gibsonburg  Church 210 

Gibson,  James  W.  . .  .  131,  196,  198, 

224,  225,  259,  357 

Gibson,  Gen.  W.  II 96,  246,  362 

Giddings,  Joshua  R 

Gilboa  Church 211 

Gill,  S.  R 1«6 

Given,  Samuel 60,  237,  357 

Gordon,  Benjamin  F.212,  223,  247,  357 

Gottschall,  John  B 196,  235,  357 

Goode,  W.  H.  C 255 

Goode,  Mrs.  W.  H.  C .  .  255 

Grace  Church,  Lima 219 

Graham,  Kdwin  R 325,  343 


392 


Index. 


PAGE. 

Graham,  John. . .  .52,  225,  229,  325,  327 

Grand  Rapids,  Ohio 43,  274 

Grand  Rapids  Church,  Grand  Rap- 
ids, Ohio 211 

Gray,  David  S 141,  150 

Great  Miami 39 

Green,  William  J 224,  357 

Greenville 40,  81 

Gressley,  Louis 191,  235,  237 

GROWTH     OF     METHODISM, 

THE 22 

Guild,  Lewis  T 358 

Guiley  Leonard  B 69,  136,  142, 

175,  189,  218,  232 

H 

Hagerman,  William  J 358 

Halliday,  John  J 358 

Hall,  David  G 358 

Hammond,  Earnest  II 305.  360 

Harford,  A.  E 358 

Harford,  W?alden  M 358 

Harmar's  Battleground 43 

Harmar,  General 40,  41,     81 

Harmount,  Alexander 126,  247 

Harris,  Bishop  W.  L.  .9,  36,  52,  63,  146 
Harrison,  General  W.  H .  .  .  .  34,  44, 

45,  46,     47 
Harshbarger,  Jonas  F.  .57,  200,  201, 

202,  207,  247,  358,  382 

Harthan,  Frederick  W 358 

Havighurst,  Mrs.  C.  R 101,  103 

Havighurst,  C.  R 172,  173,  195, 

229,  341 

Hayes,  General  R.  B 204 

Hayes,  Mrs.  R.  B Ill,  279 

Hayes,  President 207 

Hayes,  Rutherford 279 

Heck,  Barbara 19 

Heck,  Paul 22 

Hedding,  Bishop 51,  205 

Heller,  R.  B 129,  131,  132 

Helms,  D.  F 124,  165,  246,  286,  358 

Henderson,  Isaiah  R 247,  358 

Heistand,  Clare  B 273,  358 

Hickernell,  Calvin  B 358 

Hicks,  John 89,     90 

Hiett,  John  W 137,  318 

Hiett,  Mrs.  J.  W 100,  122,  318 

Higbie,  Frank  E 358 

Hillery,  James  O 358 

Hill,  John  W. . .  .224,  237,  333,  334,  358 

Hill,  John  L 358 

HISTORY  OF  CHURCHES 162 

Historic  Highways  of  America ....     36 

Hoag,  Chas 284,  300,  305 

Hodge,  Harley  W 360 


Hodge,  John  W 358 

Hoffman,  Charles  W 268,  270,  360 

Hoffman,  Jacob  A 175,  246,  360 

Holding,  Carlisle  B 360 

Holland,  John  W 198,  261,  360 

Holmes,  Ensign 38 

Holmes,  J.  Archibald 298,  300,  360 

Hollington,  Ambrose ...  52,  73,  250,  310 
Hollington,  R.  D.  .  .  .200,  235,  341,  315 

Holy  Club 17 

Holtcamp,  John  H 324 

Honeywell  Tabernacle  Meeting, 

191,  269 

Hood,  Homer 316,  324 

Hook,  Frank  L 360 

Hook,  William 293,  295,  360 

Hooper,  Margaret 92 

Home,  John  W 360 

Horr,  Mrs.  Lucinda  Frazer Ill 

Housel,  Thomas  H 333,  334,  360 

Houser,  Francis  M 360 

Howard  Church,  Findlay,  Ohio.  . . .   197 

Howard,  Solomon 142,  144 

Howey,  M.  C 5,  198,  220,  221, 

235,  245,  360 

Howe 34 

Hulbert 36 

Hull 43,     44 

Hull's  Expedition  to  Detroit,  12,  18,     43 
Huntsville  Church ..  .   212 


Ice,  William  E 360 

Indian  Treaty  at  Fort  Meigs 49 

Ingle,  T.  J 360 

IN  MEMORIAM 378 

Ironville  Church,  Toledo 300,  302 

Iroquois 80 

Itinerant  Pathfinder ...  ...     14 


Jacobs,  B.  H 126 

Jameson,  Charles  W 270,  272,  362 

Jameson,  Carl  W 362 

Jameson,  H.  C 195,  196,  200,  341 

Jameson,  Ira  M 360 

Jesuit  Fathers 79,     88 

Jesuit  Missionaries 37 

Jewett,  Hibbard  J 362 

John  Street  Church 19 

JOINT  COMMISSION  ON 
UNION  OF  CONFERENCES..  383 

Jones,  Arthur  B 128 

Jones,  John 175,  259,  260,  271,  310 

Journal  of  a  Tour 36 


Index. 


393 


Kabler,  John 29 

Kalb,  Isaac  N 362 

Keister,  Henry  J 326,  327 

Kellam,  J.  A " 272 

Keller,  Earl  S 187,  362 

Keller,  Wesley  M 362 

Kelley,  David  N 362 

Kennedy,  Oliver 170,  218,  264 

Kennedy,  Charles  C..208,  220,  224,  362 

Kennedy,  Robert 362 

Kentuckians 45 

Ketcham,  Merrick  E 177,  362,  385 

Ketcham,  Chas.  W 53,  173,  255 

Ketring,  Dr.  Mary 105 

Keyes,  Edgar  D 362 

Kettenring,  Chas.  H 184 

Killits,  Judge  John  M  .  . .  .124,  131,  342 

King,  Mrs.  E.  Y 112 

Kinnear,  George  F 362 

Kinney,  Arthur  P 362 


Lehr  Memorial,  O.  N.  U 157 

Leipsic  Church 221,  222 

Leitch,  Miss  Isabella  C 118 

Lemasters,  Philip 363 

Lima 51 

Lima  Methodism 215 

Lindsey,  Lawrence  H 363 

Leonard,  D.  D 265 

Little  Turtle 40,    81 

Longfellow,  Joshua  M.  .53,  54,  243, 

252    363 

Love,  Mrs.  N.  B.  C 337,  339*  363 

Love,  N.  B.  C 4,  53,  54,  78,  95, 

129,  177,  196,  197,  242,  259,  336,  337 

Lucy,  John  A 363 

Lunt,  W.  S 136,  158,  195,  207 

LAKESIDE 55,  75,  108,  125 

Lakeside  Life  Saving  Station 130 

Lance,  W.  W.   .    184,  196,  200,  225,  362 

Lame,  Clarence  H 362 

LaSalle 36 

Last  Reports 12,  19,     60 

Latchaw,  Mrs.  C.  F 102 

Lathrop,  Miss  Ella 117 

Lawrence,  Judge  William 172 

Lease,  Gershom.  .  .52,  75,  127,  229,  247 

Legion 41 

Legrange  Street  (St.  Johns) 306 

Lehr,  H.  S 157,  160,  162 

Lyon,  Aaron  J 55 

M 

Magley,  Prof.  O.  H 128 

Maiden .  .  .   45,    47 


Mannahan,  H.  A 363 

Manley,  Robert 29 

Map  of  Fort  Meigs 46 

Markley,  Franklin  G 366 

Markwith,  M.  M 167 

Marietta 28,  170 

Marion  Methodism 228 

Marsh,  William  V 366 

Marysville  Church 226 

Mather,  Daniel  D 126 

Matthews,  George 366 

Matthews,  R.  O 315 

Maumee 45,  47,  49,  81,  136 

Maumee  Church 229,  230 

Maumee  District 232 

Maumee  Valley 32,  36,  37,  44,  271 

Mayer,  John 319,  232 

Mayflower 28 

McArthur 49 

McCabe,  Bishop  Charles  C. .  86,  92, 

176,  242,  280 

McCabe,  L.  D 29,  147,  152 

McCabe,  Mrs.  Dr 103,  112 

McCammon,  E.  E.  .  .120,  123,  235, 

366,  255,  297 

McCleary,  Herschel  V 366 

McComb  Church 223,  225 

McCormick,  Francis 29 

McKendree 50,  83,  85.  92,     93 

McKenney,  Milton  G 366 

McKim,  C.  S 129 

McLaughlin,  Edward  E 366 

McNeely,  Grant  M 223,  366 

Mendon  Charge 234 

Merrick,  Frederick. .  .147,  148,  150,  152 

Merrick  Hall 150 

Metamora 234 

Methodism  in  America 19 

Methodist  Itinerant 14 

METHODIST  UNION,  TOLKDO.  324 

Mt.  Blanchard  Charge 236 

Mt.  Victory  Church 237,  239 

Metz,  Samuel  W 366 

Michigan  Conference 51,  232,  292 

Miller,  John  C 329,  330 

Miller,  John  W 164,  260,  366,  304 

Miller,  J.  M 173,  219.  247,  365,  366 

Missionary  Society 63 

Missionary  Society  of  the  Methodist 

Episcopal  Church 82,  95,     96 

Mitchell,  F.G 384 

Moffit,  James  O 366 

Money,  Frank  M 366 

Monnett  Hall 102,  145,  150,  152 

Mononcue 90,    91 

Monosmith,  Charles  M  ...  181,  247,  366 
Monument  at  Fort  Meigs 48 


394 


Index. 


Moore,  David  H 226,  247 

Moore,  C.  A 190,  191 

Monroe  Street  Church,  Toledo .  302,  303 

Montgomery,  James  M 315 

Montpelier  Church 235 

Moore,  Bishop  David  H 22 

Moore,  Clarence  A 190,  366 

Moravians 17,    81 

Morrison,  John  W.  H 366 

Motter,  Eli  L 275,  366 

Motter,  William  W 366  j 

Mud  Hole  Franchise 34  i 

N 

Napoleon  Church 241 

Nast,  Dr.  William 127.  319 

Nelson,  Alexander 67.  136 

Nelson,  Professor  Clara 67 

Nelson,  Professor  E 7,     67 

Newcomb,  J.  F 184.  368 

Newton,  Isaac..  .126,  171,  195,  307. 

330.  331 

Nichols,  Bryce  S 368 

North  Baltimore  Church 243 

North  Lewisburg  Church 243 

North  Ohio  Conference 51.  381 

Northwest  Territory 29 

O 

Oak  Dale  Cemetery 75 

Observatory,  O.  W.  U 148 

Ohio  Conference 30,  50,  231.  319 

Ohio  Methodism 30 

OHIO    NORTHERN     UNIVER- 
SITY  9,  135,  155,  156,  162 

Ohio  River 28,  29 

Old  Style  Class  Book 185 

Ohio  Weslevan  Female  College ....  134 
OHIO     WESLEYAN     UNIVER- 
SITY  9,  52,  63,  75,  99,  134,  139 

Old  Collingwood  Church,  West  To- 
ledo   294 

Olive,  James  F.  .173,  200,  219,  226,  368 

Oram,  J.  S 129 

Ordinance  of  1787 28 

ORGANIZATION  OF  CENTRAL 

OHIO  CONFERENCE 50 

Original  Building,  O.  N.  U 157 

ORIGIN  OF  THE  WEST  OHIO 

CONFERENCE 381 

Ottawa 49 

Owen,  Richard 19 

P 

Parker,  Thomas. .  .60,  64.  114,  136,  170 
Parkman .  .  38 


Parkin.  George  B 368 

Parks.  Charles  A 368 

Parlette,  John 224,  240,  368 

Pattee,  Elias 179,  231,  250,  292 

Paulding  Church 245 

Pavillion,  Lakeside,  Ohio 125 

Payne  Church 246 

Payne,  Charles  H. . .  .  147,  154,  239, 

273,  280 

Peck,  Bishop 99 

Perkins,  Professor  H.  M 367,  368 

Perry,  Commodore 47,  49 

Perrysburg 45 

Perrysburg  Church 247 

Perrysburg  Church  and  Parsonage.  249 

Perry's  Victory 47 

PERSONAL  MENTION 63 

Peters,  H.  W 95,  262 

Pfeiffer,  Joel  F 368 

Philpott,  William  S 193,  209,  368 

Plyinpton,  Billings  O 231 

Pi'lcher,  Elijah  H 175,  229,  309 

Pilcher,  H.  E 227,  278,  281 

Pioneer  Lamp 32 

Pioneer  Missionary  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church 84 

Pittsburgh  Conference 50 

Poe,  Adam,  139,  140,  142,  205,  268,  281 

Pointer,  Jonathan 87 

Pontiac 38,     39 

Pontiac's  \Var 38 

Pope,  Parker  P. .  .96,  247,  259,  325,  327 

Pope,  Jackson  T 368 

Pope,  Russel  Bigelow 137 

Pope,  Thomas  J 326 

Port  Clinton 55 

Pottawatomie 49 

Prentiss,  L.  E . 207 

President's  Residence,  O.  W.  U . .  .  .  153 

Priddy,  Greenburg  H 328,  329 

Proctor.  General 45 

Put-in-Bay 47 

Puritanism..  17 


R 


Rainsberger,  Adam  C 223,  254,  368 

Rauch.  Reuben 368 

Reading,  B.  F. . .  .57,  119,  123,  220, 

224,  368 

Read,  T.  C 79,  200,  255 

Record  of  First  Circuit  in  Upper 

Maurnee  Vallev 186 

Reeder,  J.  S.  G 138,  222,  243 

Reeder,  W.  H.  H 123 

Reynolds,  Judson  W 368 

Rhodes,  Dwight  E 370 

Richards,  Mrs.  Florence  D .  .  .  .223,  344 


Index. 


395 


Richards,  Joseph  J 368 

Richardson,  Frank  J 370 

Richardson,  Mark 326,  329 

Rice,  Lemuel 370 

Richwood  Church 251 

Riley,  Captain 49 

Ritter,  Mrs.  Eliazbeth 110 

River,  Raisin 44,     45 

Roberts,  J.  C 128,  370 

Roberts,  Samuel  L.  . .  .72,  246,  247, 

332,  333 

Roberts,  William  X 370 

Robinson,  Jesse  V 370 

Rogers,  Lorenzo  D 207,  250 

Roman  Catholic  Church 80,     88 

Ruf us,  Putnam 28 

Rural  Church 59 

Rushsylvaftia  Church 252 

Rowand,  B.  L 300 

Rowley,  Charles  E 21 1,  370 


Sale,  John 50 

Sanborn  Music  Hall 145,  152 

Scoles,  William  H 370 

Scott,  G.  A 370 

Scott,  M.  D 370 

Scott,  Samuel  W 370 

Semans,  Mrs.  .Wr.  O 102 

Seneca 49 

Sessions,  George  B 370 

Severinghaus,  Charles 320 

Shadford,  George 28 

Shank,  Willoughby  N 289,  290,  370 

Shannon,  J.  A 307 

Shannon,  John  R 315 

Shaw,  John  C 235 

Shawnee 49 

Sheldon,  Henry  O 204,  265,  266 

Sherwood  Church 254 

Shultz,  J.  M 370 

Shultz,  James  W 210,  370 

Shultz,  William  R 331,  332 

Shortis,  Wesley 271 

Sidney  Church  and  Parsonage.. 254,  255 

Siege  of  Fort  Meigs 45 

Simms,  Joseph  D 182,  370 

Simms,  Leroy  V 373 

Sinclair,  Jeremiah  C 372 

Slocum  Library 143 

Smith,  A.  E 160,  161,  181,  229, 

296,  372,  383 

Smith,  Edward  D 372 

Smith,  Isaac  N 372 

Smith,  John  W 300,  302 

Smith,  J.  Hamlinc 372 


PAGE. 

Smith,  Kelley  L 372 

Smith,  Laverde  B 237,  372 

Smith,  Olin  E 372 

Smith,  William  H 372 

Snodgrass,  James  S 372 

Snow,  Eugene  H 372 

Solomon,  Mother 96 

SOME  LAY  LEADERS 342 

Spencer,  Uriah 268 

Spring  Street  Church.  Toledo.   315,  317 

Spencer,  Wilson  N 372 

Squire  Grey  Eyes 84 

Stafford,  Harry  F 372 

Stanton,  Frank  W 242,  372 

Stanton,  Mrs.  F.  W 103 

St.  Clair 41 

St.  James  Church,  Toledo 304,  306 

Stecker,  Daniel 229,  289,  372 

Stecker,  Mrs.  Daniel 109 

STEWART,  JOHX 9,  80,  84,     85 

St.  John's  Church,  Toledo 306,  308 

St.  John's  Church,  Auglaize  ( 'ounty.  258 

St.  Joseph 35 

St.  Marys  Church 256 

St.  Paul's  Church,  Defiance 182 

St.  Paris  Church 258 

St.  Paul's  Church,  Toledo. .  57,  122, 
138,  286,  308,  310,  311.  312,  314,  328 

Stockstill,  Webster  G 372 

Stophlet,  M.  M 120,  290 

Strowbridge,  Robert 19 

Strange,  John 168,  213 

Street,  John  F 210,  247 

Strother,  Erwin  A 267,  372 

Strayer,  Miss  Emma HI 

Stubbs,  Harriett 96,    97 

Sturges  Hall 149 

SURVIVING  CHAKTEU  MEM- 
BERS   336 

Sutton,  Charles  W .258 

Swan  Creek 43 

Swank,  Jesse 173,  242,  264,  372 

Swanton  Church 259 

Swearingen,  Mellville  G 372 

Sylvania  Church 259 


Taneyhill.  Charles  W.  55,  128,  177, 

190,  197,  373 

Tecumseh 35,  45,  47,  49 

Tennessee .  •  •  SO 

Tennessee  Conference 24 

Toledo 32.  36.  42,  43.  56,  121 

Toledo  in  1852 

Toledo  City  Mission 314 

TOLEDO 'METHODISM  283 


396 


Index. 


PAGE. 

Third  Church,  Findlay 198 

Thomas  Biddle 17 

Thomas,  Aaron  A 222,  223, 

243,  252,  373 
Thomson,  Bishop  Edward.  .68,  139, 

140,  142,  147,  152, 

Training  School  for  Nurses 121 

TRANSFERRED,  BUT  NOT 

FORGOTTEN 340 

Treaty  of  Greenville 43 

Trimble,  Allen 142 

Trimble,  J.  M 128,  140 

Trinity  Church,  Lima,  Ohio 216 

Turner,  Robert  W 373 

Two-Story    Brick    Church,    Upper 

Sandusky,  Ohio 263 


U 


Upper  Sandusky 44,  87,  93,     96 

Upper  Sandusky  Church 261 

Urbana 43,  383,  386 


VanPelt,  C.  M 382,  384 

Vermilya,  Miss  Mary  A 124 

Versailles  Church 265 

Vincent,  Bishop  John  H 128 

Vickery,  Geo.  M 216 

Vickery,  Mrs.  Geo 219 


W 


Walden,  Bishop  John  M.  .185,  190,  253 

Walker,  William 87,  89,  91,  373 

Walker,  Sheridan 7,  212,  373 

Walk-in-the- Water 49 

Wallace,  Richard  W 200,  228, 

300,  305,  373 

Wapakoneta  Church 266 

War  1812-1815 81,  132 

Warner,  E.  M 233,  234 

Warner,  Henry 179,  267,  329,  330 

War  of  the  Revolution 27 

Warren,  Miss  Bonnie  Ruth 117 

Washington  Chapel 210 

Washington,  General :.......     39 

Waters,  Mrs.  Dr.  W.  G 101 

Waters,  W.  G 5,  117,  167,  171, 

219,  227,  254,  300,  328,  373 

Watkins,  Aaron  S 374 

Waterville  Church 270 

Waugh,  Bishop  Beverly 51 


Wayne 35,  40,  41,  42,     43 

Wauseon  Church 267,  269 

Weaner,  Cornelius 374 

Weaver,  Albert  H 240,  251,  374 

i  Weaver,  Edward  S 374 

;  Webb,  Thomas 19 

i  Webster,  Edwin  J 251,  374 

Webster,  Loring  C 53,  54,  196, 

264,  338,  374 

Welch,  Herbert 153,  154,  336,  337 

|  Wesley  Chapel 19,  166 

j  Wesley  Church,  Marion 229 

I  Wesley,  John 2,  17,  18,     28 

i  Western  Avenue  Church,  Toledo..  .   319 

Western  Conference 24,  29,  30,     50 

Weston  Church 274,  275 

Western  Reserve 43 

WEST    OHIOu  ANNUAL    CON- 
FERENCE   10,  383,  386,  387 

White  House  Church 272 

White  Sulphur  Spring  in  Delaware.  139 

Whitlock,  Brand 77 

Whitlock,  Elius  D 4,  76,  167, 

171,  196,  219,  225,  253,  374,  385 

Whitlock,  Mrs.  E.  D 98,  102 

Whitlock,  George  A 374 

Whitlock,  William  F 151,  154 

Whyman,  George  W 374 

Wiant,  W.  A 384 

Wilch,  JohnW 37& 

Wilcox,  Jason 374 

Wiley,  Bishop 9» 

Wilkinson,  General 44 

Williams,  Jefferson 190,  374 

Williams,  Mrs.  Delia  L 108- 

Williams,  Mrs.  W.  G 109,  111 

William  Street  Church 67,  98, 

152   277    279- 
Williams,  William  G ...  55,  66*,  144J  154 

Wilson,  Amos 70 

Wilson,  Harvey 70 

Wilson,  John  H 307 

Wilson,  Thomas  H. . .  .72,  164,  218, 

229,  307 

Wiltsie,  George  B 190,  304,  374 

Wiltsie,  T.  L 315 

Winchester 44,     45 

Winters,  William  A 374 

Wiseley,  Milton  C 374 

Wolcott,  George  H..  .213,  303,  316,  376 

Wolff,  Christian  W 374 

WOMAN'S  FOREIGN  MISSION- 
ARY SOCIETY 97,    98 

WOMAN'S     HOME     MISSION- 
ARY SOCIETY 108,  118- 

Woodruff,  Robert  E 374- 


Index. 


397 


PAGE. 

Worthington,  Henry  S 376 

Wright,  Ralph 177,  210,  376 

Wright,  Stewart  C 177.  229,  288 

Wyandot  Mission 208,  261 

Wyandot  Mission  Church 94 

Wyandot 49,  8G,  261 

Wykes,  Joseph 72,  162 

Wynn,  Ivan  C 376 


Yant,  Harrison  D 376 

Yeagle,  Micfcacl 243,  376 


Yeisley,  Clayton  J .290,  304,  376 

Yingling,  William  A. . . ."'. 376 

Yoder,  D.  C 376 

Young,  Jason 331.  332 

Young,  Stephen  () 376 

Yourtee,  Samuel  L 170 


Zion  German  Church,  Toledo 322 


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